Magic of Hope
by Chenalos
Summary: PMMM re-imagined as an 8 episode American Miniseries.
1. Introduction (Optional)

Introduction:

After watching Madoka I had mixed emotions. I liked the characters, but felt they were not properly fleshed out. I liked the ending but not it's execution. I liked the story but felt it demanded too much from suspension of disbelief. I don't presume to say that I could have told the story better, but the thought would not leave my head of 'If I were to tell Madoka Magica what would I do differently?' So over the course of a little over half a year I hammered out the 8-episode teleplay miniseries scripts of this project and I can safely say the answer to my question was 'More allegory, A second plot thread, an ultimate McGuffin, Nerfing the final boss and more character backstory.' I'm personally comfortable with those choices, and think the changes fit while still feeling very much like a true-to-Madoka remake. About the only thing irreplaceable from the original series would be Kajiura Yuki's entrancing score. Taking the sound of Madoka away removes its auditory identity. As much as I could try to emulate the plot and dialogue the musical essence of the series is not something I could forge whole cloth so I had to use the TV series approach. When an American TV show wants to engage its audience in song it's usually a montage with well known pop music behind it. Since I viewed this project as something for the small screen that is the direction I went. I tried to think of songs that were not well known because I was imagining that I was saddled with an imaginary budget, but by episode six I asked myself who I was kidding and put in musical ideas that only big names could afford. Ideally I'd want to have the series with its own score but the many moments of montage, apparent especially the final two episodes, assured that long music breaks would be demanded. I won't say that I wrote myself into a corner with the music, but options outside of published music were limited. In order to hear the ideas I was going for I have a link to all the music used and each track is tagged in this introduction with a corresponding alpha-numeric reference listed below for you to hear the songs I'd intended. As of Feb-12-2017 all of these links are currently alive. You'll notice that almost all are youtube videos, that was just the most convenient option available. I make a visual reference to the plague scene from "Kanashimi No Belladonna" which was at one time available in clip form on youtube but has since been scrubbed. If you want to see it I'm afraid you'll have to watch the whole movie on your own (t/d)ime.

I'll say quickly about publishing that I had held my screenplays back thinking I'd want to keep them hidden in case I get an opportunity to produce, but I have since come to the realization that it's not in the cards. When a recent movie trailer came out scored to one of the songs used in the scripts I decided that there was no real creative way forward in production. So what was I to do with everything I'd written? Give it up to the internet and let it be read and picked apart by the anyone who'd care enough to read or archive it in an old hard drive which would be about equal to throwing it in the garbage? You can clearly tell which path I chose.

I haven't touched my account in over a decade, but of anywhere on the internet this is where "The magic of Hope" belongs. Feel free to comment and Criticize.

I apologize for any formatting errors. Fanfiction . net's document system did not register my formatting choices, and I also referenced Ms. Perry as in the script which FF . net thought was a hyperlink and deleted...repeatedly. So if someone is talking with no name it's the teacher. I think I fixed it but if there is any confusion or error in the formatting comment and let me know.

Thanks for reading.  
-Chenalos

Soundtrack:

Notes: I recommend having the soundtrack list copied/opened to another tap or text document in order to access each file without having to return to the list as presented on this page. (G1) is repeated several times over the course of the final two episodes. Best to leave that song open in a separate tab.

Virtue:

(A1) watch?v=BIeGrOo6JDk

(A2) watch?v=D3FXC-9gg0c

Joy:

(B1) watch?v=JwKdCUaSJNU

(B2) watch?v=717WyyDaWSY

Prudence:

(C1) watch?v=d7rWcBwqbH8

(C2) watch?v=X4C2HlUwYXw

(C3) watch?v=SwfUuxGim2s

Amity:

(D1) watch?v=wcyL_BvcMNc

(D2) watch?v=bzvqMK_9VRs

(D3) watch?v=n36hDSK-vhA

Charity:

(E1) watch?v=-zYwjhJuNAE

(E2) watch?v=Gsfx0AoIKvk

(E3) watch?v=a9f4fWSzCvA

Mercy:

(F1) watch?v=J2CCfxiQ5QY

(F2) watch?v=bXsmGSnq3lE

Peace:

(G1) watch?v=UC_VzbtRGr0

(G2) dankeller d0t bandcamp d0t com $lash album $lash rosada

(G3) watch?v=sYi7uEvEEmk

(G4) watch?v=xQKcIOFT9KM

(G5) watch?v=XkSmLh2Hbi0

(G6) watch?v=IdAiCtxwxQw

(G7) watch?v=ncgB2lhzM0U

(G8) watch?v=iqoUDGJ4g2A

(G9) watch?v=P160_odTwyY

Hope:

(H1) watch?v=aecRZbvhuS4

(H2) watch?v=xKvmb25GbWs

(H3) watch?v=5i4-25wNp84

(H4) watch?v=h3-6O7btipo

(H5) watch?v=Et52K3VOFQ4

(H6) watch?v=ito5ELbyyxs

email: Chenalos at yahoo dot com

twitter at ChenalosFiction


	2. Virtue

The Magic of Hope Virtue (rough draft)

Chenalos presents

A 14 rivers play for the screen

Based upon Puella Magi Madoka Magica

The Magic of Hope

Episode 1: Virtue

Chenalos 

ChenalosFiction

Hope, a teenage girl with ribbons in her Reddish hair. She runs through the streets, against building winds under the dreary and foreboding gray cloudy sky of an impending storm. She runs inside the open door of a deserted building and hurries up the steps to throw open the door of the Roof.

The city in the storm is in surreal chaos, a giant, leafless tree has sprung up from the ground and tangles the sky with jagged branches. Sky scrapers have been lifted from the earth floating weightlessly and the surroundings have become a twisted, desaturated and harsh world of monochromatic shapes reminiscent of 'The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari'

Amani, A teenage girl with long, plaited hair clothed in a magical girls outfit, with a magical gem on the back of her left hand and armed only with an enchanted buckler is flying through the air. She rushes towards Walpurgisnacht, a humanoid monster in the shape of an enormous inverted woman scarecrow in a blue medieval dress with two streamered hennins atop its painted-smile head a stack of turning gears churn at the base of the monster's dress.

HOPE

No! Wait! You can't fight that thing!

Amani cannot hear her and she deflects blasts of energy from the giant monster away with her shield. One gets through and she is struck to the branches of the tree. Meanwhile, As if out of nowhere a small, almost toy like angel, Arvess, appears above Hope, and she watches him as he descends to rest on the rail of a fire escape. Arvess always speaks in a bright, cheery voice almost as if he is constantly advertising. His face is a permanent minimalist, cute, yet eerie smile and candy red eyes.

ARVESS

It's no use for her now. She's gone

through all her offensive options.

It's just a matter of time.

HOPE

You can't leave her like this.

ARVESS

This is not something I can get

involved in. There's nothing I

can do.

Amani Shakes the dizziness out of her head, looks down from the tree to see Hope talking to Arvess. She starts calling to Hope but it is clear that Hope cannot hear her.

HOPE

But she won't survive if we don't

help her.

ARVESS

If you want to save her there is one

thing that only you can do.

Hope looks at Amani, beaten bloody and bruised, pleading with her over a great distance. Walpurgisnacht strikes again and Amani is forced to take flight.

HOPE

I don't understand. How?

ARVESS

You just don't know about the power

inside of you. You have the ability

to make anything happen. Believe

in yourself.

HOPE

You mean I can save her from all this?

ARVESS

The only way for her to win is for you

to help her. I can show you how if

you just trust me.

A crash and Hope looks back to see Amani falling out of the sky calling for her desperately.

HOPE

Tell me what I have to do.

ARVESS

OK then. Close your eyes and think

of the thing you want most in the

whole world.

Hope closes her eyes. The noise and storm goes silent, as there is a zoom to an extreme closeup on her closed eyes.

ARVESS (V.O)

OK. Are you ready?

Hope opens her eyes to see that she is in her bedroom, and has just awoken to a beautiful sunny morning. She leans up in her bed and looks side to side before breathing a sigh of relief.

Kitchen. Mister Jake DelSoro, Author, Gardener, Homemaker and Hope's father is making breakfast. The TV is on and running local news.

TV

With over 100 firearms reported

missing along with at least fifteen

hundred rounds of ammunition. The

Weapons taken from the freedom hawks

Militia-

Hope comes into the kitchen from upstairs, and takes a cup of coffee while giving her father a peck on the cheek

JAKE

Good morning, Hope. Sleep well?

HOPE

(Shaking her head)

Weird dreams. I'm fine though.

JAKE

I certainly wish you a good day today.

HOPE

Thanks, Dad.

JAKE

How was that quiz you were supposed to

take?

HOPE

88.

JAKE

Good job. Give me 12 more points next time.

HOPE

I know, dad, geeze. Do you have book

tour this month?

JAKE

Nope. I don't tour until June.

Hope

How were sales?

JAKE

Less than last edition. Starting out

a new series is rough. You need fans.

HOPE

Well, people liked the last series

a lot so I hope this one gets bigger.

JAKE

Hey, your mom's the real bread winner

around here. Don't worry about me.

I just write because I want to.

HOPE

Did you see this thing on the news about

all those guns?

JAKE

Yeah. It's scary stuff. Hopefully they

Don't end up in the wrong hands.

HOPE

Where's mom?

JAKE

Still in bed. Teddy's trying to wake her

up. Want to help?

Master bedroom with the curtains drawn. Rachel Les Paul, Jake's Wife is burying herself under bed sheets to stave off her three year old son, Teddy.

TEDDY

Momma! Momma! Wake up! Morning!

MORNING!

RACHEL

No! I'm calling in sick. Away with

You!

Hope enters the bedroom with a stern expression and opens up the curtains pouring sunlight into the bedroom. Rachel, groggy rolls away and slightly hisses as her children and the sunlight.

HOPE (pulling away the sheets)

If I have to go to school you have

to go to work!

RACHEL

OK. OK. You win. I'm moving.

Rachel gets to her feet, being hugged by Teddy while scruffing up her daughter's hair.

Exterior establishing shot of the house.

Bathroom. Both mother and daughter are getting ready for their days primping in front of side by side mirrors. Hope has two ribbons in front of her, one yellow one light red.

HOPE

Amity got asked out day before yesterday.

RACHEL

Oh, did she?

HOPE

Logan was the guy.

RACHEL

How'd it go?

HOPE

She shot him down.

RACHEL

I'm not surprised. Amity is too

goodie-goodie.

HOPE

Mom.

RACHEL

What? She is. It's all that conservative

upbringing she gets. She's too sheltered.

Her folks don't watch out she'll end up

either in a convent or a harem. She has

to learn the ins and outs…as it were.

HOPE

Oh, God. Shut up.

RACHEL

What? My house isn't it?

HOPE

Anyway, I think Prudence was the one who

talked her out of it. She's always saying

things to mess with people. But Logan's

cute. If he ever asked me out, I'd say yes.

RACHEL (Thinks a moment)

Is this the same Logan who broke his arm

ramping his bike off a bridge two years

ago?

HOPE

Yeah. That was him.

RACHEL

You want to date him?

HOPE (smirking for a moment)

Oh, totally.

RACHEL

Fine. Date idiots. I don't care.

Give me his grandkids.

HOPE

Yeah. Fine. I will.

RACHEL

Good. I hope you're very happy with

Your idiot boyfriend.

HOPE

Yeah. Good. (pause)

Logan? Me? Dating? How could you

let me say that? What kind of a

Mother are you? I could report you

To social services for endangerment

Of a minor.

RACHEL

You always smirk when you lie. It's

an easy tell. You better fix that

before your first poker night.

HOPE

Speaking of night, you were out late.

RACHEL

This damn negotiation's going to kill

me. I had to stay out to ten drinking

with the buyer. He sings like a seal

when he's drunk. If I don't get a

bigger bonus by years end I'll go back

to the mag industry.

HOPE

Where you met dad?

RACHEL

Yeah. A new beginning. Meet another

man. Leave you all behind. Start

another family.

Hope holds up the two ribbons.

HOPE

You're so evil.

RACHEL (Points to the red ribbon)

You're so Good.

Breakfast table. The family is set and ready.

RACHEL

Are you Gardening today, sweetie?

JAKE

No. Cleaning.

HOPE

Dad, please don't clean my room.

TEDDY

I wanna go watch cartoons.

JAKE

Go on, son.

TEDDY

Thanks, dad.

HOPE

Dad, did you hear me? Please don't

Go in my room.

JAKE

Are you trying to hide anything, Hope?

HOPE

No. It's my space. You're crossing

into my zone. You know?

RACHEL

There are things about her you don't need

to know, Jake.

JAKE

I'll leave the vacuum outside your room.

You clean it this afternoon, OK? Want

another Coffee, Honey?

RACHEL

Not enough time. I have to get going.

HOPE

Yeah. Me too.

Rachel kisses her husband and son good bye. She and her daughter get their shoes on and walk out the door. They exchange a High-five before parting, Rachel to her car and Hope to the street where she walks to school.

Musical flourishes and establishing shots of Rhapsody Bay, a small city with modern suburbs, nice housing, flowing creeks, wind turbines and a backdrop of high-rises and tall commercial buildings. The focus shifts to students on their way to school.

Hope walks along and hears a voice from behind from her bob-cut friend Prudence and long haired, conservative Amity alongside her.

PRUDENCE

Hope! Wait up.

HOPE

Hi, Amity, Prudence.

PRUDENCE (Runs by)

Come, on, I don't want to be late.

Race you to the stop sign.

HOPE

You Jerk, that's a head start!

The girls run and laugh happily on their way under a warm cerulean sky.

TITLE

VIRTUE

ROLL INTRO.

Act 1 resume on girls going to school.

PRUDENCE

Hope, did you get the math homework

done? Can I borrow it for study hall?

HOPE

Yeah. But you're usually good at math.

What do you need that for?

PRUDENCE

I couldn't get home until late last

night and I just didn't get to it.

I have to do Biology and math in

one study hall so it's a pain.

AMITY

What were you doing last night?

PRUDENCE

Oh, it was Will. Just helping the

neighbors kid. He's almost better from

the accident and I'm just trying to keep

him company.

AMITY

Yeah. I had him in my French class

Last year. He was so nice. Terrible

what happened, just awful, you know?

How are you helping him?

PRUDENCE

Well, I'm thinking about going into

physical therapy, so it's a good idea

to see what it's all about firsthand,

right?

HOPE

So how is Will?

PRUDENCE

Well...He's learning to walk again.

Has to do it with aided assistance,

but, you know. It's really one step

at a time. Literally. But he's doing

it.

HOPE

Well good to hear.

PRUDENCE

But his left hand, though. I don't

know. He might have to give up on

his dreams. It's...

HOPE

(passes her spiral notebook)

Hey! Don't worry about it. Sure you

can take my homework.

PRUDENCE (Musically)

Thanks, Hope. You're the best. I'll

treat you to lunch after school. What

do you think?

HOPE

Sure!

Amity smiles as the two chatter and laugh, then seems distant, as though lost in her own thoughts.

Establishing shot of the school. Classroom. Ms. Perry the bespectacled mid-30's English teacher stands before a homeroom class that includes Hope, Prudence, and Amity.

MS PERRY

Who can tell me the proper way to

fry an egg?

She looks out over blank stares

MS PERRY(Cont)

Vincent! I want you to tell me how

to properly fry an egg! Sunny side

up, or over easy?

VINCENT  
Well, I guess either is OK.

MS PERRY

Egg-zactly! It shouldn't matter

whether an egg is fried one way or

another, does it?

VINCENT

Ms. Perry, this is supposed to

be homeroom and you're an English

teacher. What does this have to

do with English?

MS PERRY

Because you're speaking it right now

and I can understand you and we are

clearly communicating that it doesn't

make any big difference whether an

egg is fried over easy or sunny side

up!

PRUDENCE (to Hope)

I guess it didn't work out, huh?

(Hope grins nervously)

MS PERRY

Girls, don't worry about how you make

eggs. Any way is really fine, and

boys don't be the kind of person that

gets all worked up over how eggs are

fried.

PRUDENCE

I feel bad.

HOPE

Mom says she's gone through five dating

sites like this.

PRUDENCE

She better find about twelve more.

MS PERRY

It's small misunderstandings about

trivial nonsense that keep the world

from harmony. I'll expect you all to

be open minded and not too finicky or

highly strung!

(She snaps the pencil she is holding

in half. The pieces fall to the

floor amidst a deafening silence)

MS PERRY(CTD)

It's almost not even worth getting worked

up over. A silly thing like eggs.

(Breathes in a deep sigh)

MS PERRY(CTD)

Well, with that out of the way, we have

a new classmate joining us today. Please

Welcome Miss Amani Milele Stanton.

The same girl shown in the introduction enters the classroom and Hope reacts with shock at seeing her in the flesh. Amani moves with control and undeliberate grace. She generally speaks directly but without any emotional edge one way or another.

MS PERRY

Amani is coming to us from a hospital

I won't go into details but she's

recovering from a successful treatment.

She may need a breather once in a while.

OK? I hope you'll all be good friends

with her.

AMANI

You can all call me Amani, I don't mind.

The teacher writes "Ahmane" on the board, and Amani turns, quickly erases it, sets the chalk on its side and quickly writes "Amani Stanton" in Lucidia Calligraphy. The class responds, largely impressed. Amani turns, tossing her long plaited hair and shoots a cold gaze at Hope who looks away, intimidated.

PRUDENCE (V.O)

You met her?

HOPE (V.O)

No. But I had this dream and I could

swear she was in it.

The two girls are talking to one another during a study hall where Prudence is copying Hope's homework. Amani sits at a table some distance away.

PRUDENCE

So maybe you should go talk to her.

HOPE

I don't know what to say and she glares

at me sometimes. I don't think she

likes me.

PRUDENCE

Well don't let her intimidate you.

You've got more friends than she does.

HOPE

I don't know what she could be mad

about.

PRUDENCE

What kind of a name is Amani, anyway?

I can understand if adults want to

be cultural or ethnic or something

but at least let your kid have a normal

name. Am I right?

HOPE

You're named after a Beatles song.

PRUDENCE

Yeah. A good one! See, my mom was smart.

Amani glances over at Hope and Prudence. She is being crowded by a four girl fashionista squad.

FASHIONISTA 1

I like your hair. Did it take long to

do that?

AMANI

I've been growing it for years.

FASHIONISTA 2

I like the colors of your clothes

Where do you shop?

AMANI

I apologize, but I'm starting to

feel a little light headed. I'm

going to the nurse's office.

AMANI gets up and walks over to Hope, Prudence glares at her, sizing her up.

HOPE

Hello, Amani. I'm-

AMANI (with cold formality)

Hope DelSoro, you're the health

officer of our homeroom, aren't you?

HOPE

I'm...How did...

AMANI

I'll have to ask you to show me to the

nurse's office. I'm feeling slightly ill

and may need to go there in an emergency.

HOPE

So, now?

AMANI

Please. It could be important.

Hope looks over at Prudence and they exchange a glance. Hope shrugs and gets up, walking Amani to the hallway. Oddly, Amani leads the way.

HOPE

The Nurses office is-

AMANI

On the left, right?

HOPE

Right. Left. You know, you

seem to know what you're doing

already.

AMANI

I assure you, I have no idea where

to go or what I have to do. I'm

Just going through the motions.

So you'll have to lead me.

HOPE

Amani.

AMANI

Yes?

HOPE

No. I was just saying. Amani.

It's a nice name. Prudence and I

Were talking about it.

AMANI

She's the Bob-cut one with the hurt

friend, right?

HOPE

She's-How did you know that, about

Her friend?

AMANI

It's a small hospital, you learn

about everyone stuck inside.

Amani Milele. My name is Swahili.

It means Peace forever.

HOPE

Well I kind of like it. It's not

a normal sounding name but it really

doesn't sound that strange. Not like

being named Hope anyway. I hear all

kinds of Hope jokes. 'You think so?

Well, I HOPE you're right.' 'Oh, you're

Always so Hopeful!' 'The p is silent.'

Stuff like that.

Still leading the way, Amani suddenly turns on her heels to face Hope, and her posture is almost aggressive, and her voice is more present.

AMANI

Hope DelSoro, tell me, is there

anything you want?

HOPE

What do you mean?

AMANI

I mean if you could change anything

right now, would you wish things

to be another way or would you rather

keep things just as they are?

HOPE

I mean...You mean...Like...Anything?

AMANI

Tell me what you want and why you

want it.

HOPE  
You mean like, if I had a million

dollars-

AMANI

Do you want a million dollars?

HOPE

No, I mean if I had enough money

to do anything.

AMANI

Forget money. Forget possessions,

life goals, relationships, friends

and family. Look deep down and

say I'd give it all up, everything

for this. What is it and why

would you do it?

HOPE

I...I don't get it Amani, I-

AMAN

You'll lose it all, Hope.

Your whole life, and all you

know and love becomes like a balloon that

slips away from you and drifts into

the sky, vanishing forever just for

this one thing. What is it?

HOPE

I...I don't think I'd really have

anything like that, you know? I have a

good family and friends and I'm doing

OK in school. I wouldn't know what to

really change even if I could.

AMANI

Right. So you remember that. Why risk

losing everything when you have this

easy life?

HOPE

I don't know what you mean.

Amani begins to pace toward Hope, visibly antagonized to the point of spite.

AMANI

Now you can stay just the way you are.

Like this: happy and pretty and perfect.

Hope cringes, expecting she is about to be struck.

HOPE

Please don't...

Amani walks by her without even an acknowledgment.

AMANI

You don't have to show me the nurse's

office, Hope DelSoro. I'm feeling

better already.

The School bell rings, stranding HOPE in the hallway.

Gym class. Amity and Hope jog side by side.

AMITY

How many classes do you have with her?

HOPE

This is my third. This, Homeroom's

English and study hall.

AMITY

Is she hurting you?

HOPE

No. She's just always trying to scare

me, I don't know why. Any ideas?

AMITY

Hold on, here she comes again.

The two quiet themselves as Amani laps them.

HOPE

Just like that, see? She didn't have

to cross so close to me but she did!

AMITY

I think you're being paranoid.

HOPE

I know I'm being paranoid. She's not

leaving me alone.

AMITY

I had her for French class. She

walked in and just started talking

French.

HOPE

Yeah? So?

AMITY

The whole time! She didn't say one

thing in English the entire class.

Mr. Newberg was trying to stump her.

She started speaking all the French

From Henry the fifth until Newberg

Made her sit down.

HOPE

Then there was that dream. I told

Prudence about it.

AMITY

The mind is a funny thing. Maybe you

saw her before on the street or

something and her face ended up in

your dream. It's happened to me.

HOPE

I heard that in math class she gave

the teacher some attitude then started

solving AP Calculus problems on the

front board just to prove she could.

AMITY

She's like some kind of super villain

and she's decided to stalk you.

HOPE

Madre del Dios.

AMITY

OK, she's coming up again, watch out.

HOPE

This sucks. I wanna go home.

The frame follows the girls for a moment, then in the shadows Arvess is shown looking on. The image pans up to blue sky. From a blue sky frame there is a pan down to a right-wing compound where a car pulls up the driveway. Out steps Detective Mercy Hastor, a female cop assigned to investigate the gun robbery. Hastor approaches some Militia men.

HASTOR

Good afternoon, gentlemen my name is

detective Hastor, I'm here to investigate

the robbery.

MILITIA 1

Startin' off, you should know we don't

want your kind on our sovereign land.

Freedom Hawks are here to preserve liberty

more than you feds will ever know.

HASTOR

I'm not federal. Honestly, I'd like to

wrap this up before the ATF gets wind and

takes over my investigation. If you want

to get this done without dealing with them

or the FBI then your cooperation would be

key. Right now this is just a stolen

property case.

MILITIA 2

Feds in feds out. You wanna come here

flashin' a badge-

MILITIA 1

Take it easy, Jebediah. Let me handle this.

MILITIA 2

OK, Junior, Go on. Talk.

MILITIA 1

We'll take you to the barracks.

The men lead Hastor to a Barracks which has gun racks trunks and lockers, all of which are busted open and empty. Hastor takes in the scene.

HASTOR

How many robbers were there?

MILITIA 1

We don't know.

HASTOR

This was yesterday?

MILITIA 2

Before 10 PM.

HASTOR

Have you tallied the missing guns?

MILITIA 1 (reading notebook)

35 assault rifles, 15 semi-SMG, 20 long

rifles, 12 carbines, 18 shotguns,

9 historical weapons, 2 50 cals–bolt and

semi, 40 Handguns, all the ammunition

and magazines probably 85 hundred rounds.

HASTOR

I see. You're talking about 750 pounds

of metal. What did they take it away

in? They'd need a truck, right?

MILITIA 1

Don't know.

HASTOR

Tire tracks, anything?

MILITIA 2

The bastards hacked our security cameras

We don't know.

HASTOR

There's footage?

MILITIA 1

You might think so.

Cut to security camera footage of the Barracks, with informational indicators at the top. Everything is secure

MILITIA 1(V.O)

And right here at 9:49:27

The lockers are now all open and empty.

MILITIA 1

That's it.

MILITIA 2

The son of a bitch figured out how

to loop our security cameras to cover

his tracks.

HASTOR

Very, very impressive. How about

external?

MILITIA 1

Same deal.

He runs the security feed from the outside of the building. Nothing ever gets close to the entrance but at the same time as the previous camera there is a small shadow that appears on the edge of the frame and disappears. The door has now been left ajar.

MILITIA 2

How'd that goddamn coward do it?

HASTOR

Go back.

The film runs again.

HASTOR

There's a shadow in this corner of the

frame. It vanishes as the same time

the lockers open on the interior

camera.

MILITIA 1

Yep. That's what happens when you loop

film. Probably a deer or something

wandered into the frame, then the film

loops, click, cuts it out.

HASTOR

Think it could be the shadow of one of

the robbers?

MILITIA 1

Well, maybe but I doubt it. If they

were smart enough to hack our security

they wouldn't be dumb enough to walk

on camera.

HASTOR

Yeah. Time stamp doesn't change on the

The cut. Huh. That's a good hack.

The men and Hastor exit the building. Hastor walks to where she saw the shadow.

MILITIA 1

We have checkpoints go from here to

three miles out. We weren't on patrol

but when the word got out-

Militia 1 stops when he sees HASTOR walking away. Hastor uses a nearby building for reference. She finds the light which threw the shadow, traces a line in the air from where the shadow started to where he assumed the shadow was thrown and curiously holds her hand up flat at about 5 feet four inches off the ground. She looks on the ground and sees the faint footprint of a sneaker. She then walks back to the Militia men.

HASTOR

Thank you for your time gentleman,

this is an ongoing investigation and

I'll be returning later tonight for

a follow up. Please e-mail me that

footage.

Hastor heads to her car and picks up his cell phone and calls.

HASTOR

Yeah, Lemon, Hastor. I'm calling

from Freedom Hawks Militia robbery.

Yeah. Well, wait I don't have anything

solid just yet, but do me a favor. You

get any reports on anything involving

female five foot four or thereabouts,

not domestics, of course. You let me

know. Yeah. Footprint. Wasn't deep

so I'm guessing light weight. I'm

guessing female. The chief? I know he

wants me to call the ATF, tell the

big man to calm down. I'll have this

in a week.(She hangs up)Yeah, right.

Hastor starts his car and drives away.

High School. The bell rings and school is shown letting out. Amani approaches Ziggy, an emo geek and gun nut.

AMANI

You're Ziggy, right?

ZIGGY

Who are you?

AMANI

I'm the new kid. I wanted to

ask you a question.

ZIGGY (after a pause)

OK. What?

AMANI (sits and faces him)

Suppose I wanted to blow up something

the size of a city block. What would

I use?

ZIGGY

What?

AMANI

If I wanted to blow up something

the size of a city block how would

I do it?

ZIGGY

What?

AMANI

How can I blow up a city block?

ZIGGY

I mean...What?

AMANI

Say what again.

ZIGGY

What.

AMANI

Again.

ZIGGY

What.

AMANI

One more time. Say it.

ZIGGY

What?

AMANI

OK. Good. Are you done asking stupid

questions? What weapon do you know

of that blows up an entire city block?

ZIGGY

GBU-43. It's a big bomb. You drop it

out of a cargo plane. It's called a MOAB.

AMANI

Right. MOAB. Tell me more.

ZIGGY

Massive Ordinance Air Blast. If you

could think of a school bus it's like

that, but it's packed with TNT. 11

tons of it.

AMANI

Thank you, Ziggy. Where can I find

a MOAB?

ZIGGY

What?

AMANI (Gets closer)

You were done.

ZIGGY

I don't know where they are. Air force

bases, I guess. But to find out where

exactly one is I'd have to-

AMANI

What do you want?

ZIGGY

Me?

AMANI

Yeah. I'll give you something. Name

it. Just think hard and make a wish.

Ziggy recoils as though he's about to call a bluff.

ZIGGY

OK...I want a sports car.

AMANI

Make, model and color. You tell me

where I can find a MOAB, it's yours.

ZIGGY

You want me to hack into a government

mainframe and locate an 11-ton bomb?

AMANI

Think you can do it? You could win

a free car.

School bell rings. Establishing shot: Mall Amity, Prudence and Hope sit in the food court. Hope slouches uneasily with a sigh.

HOPE

Way too stressful.

PRUDENCE

What's with the Ribbon, by the way,

trying to score guys like Amity does?

AMITY  
Hey, I'm not that kind of girl.

PRUDENCE

You liar! Ha. To hide behind

innocence is the true nature of a cold

blooded heart-breaker!

HOPE

Just looking for a little change. I

forgot I had it on.

PRUDENCE

Well, don't worry about it. I promised

you lunch, Hope.

HOPE

This is just the first day. I don't

know what Amani might do to me tomorrow.

PRUDENCE

You're still worried about her?

HOPE

Freaking yes! Look at this. I feel

like I've been avoiding her eyes all

day and if I weren't in school she

would have kicked the crap out of me

in the hallway!

AMITY

It sounds to me like she's just envious.

HOPE

Of what? Why try to scare me? I don't

do anything special there's no need to-

PRUDENCE

Downer. Downer. Downer. If you give

in to fear then the terrorists have

already won. Relax. No matter what

Amani does, I've got your back, right?

HOPE

Yeah. I guess.

PRUDENCE

So forget about Amani. Let's go to the

music shop. I need to pick up a CD.

HOPE

You're not going to just download it?

PRUDENCE

No. It's a gift. I need a physical

copy. Getting to the mall will clear

your head, won't it?

Amity glances nervously at Prudence while Hope cheers up.

HOPE

Yeah. You're right, Prudence. She's

smart so she can't be unreasonable.

I'm sure the next time I see her, we'll

work out all this hostility.

The girls exit.

In a darkly lit hallway in an under construction part of the mall, Arvess is flying away in terror. A blast of energy strikes his wing and he falls to the ground, then moves just in time before a follow up shot blasts the floor he was on. He runs away desperately. The silhouette of Amani steps out of the shadows and pursues him.

At the music shop Prudence browses classical music while Hope listens to pop on headphones with a smile. Abruptly a voice enters into Hope's mind.

ARVESS (V.o)

Help me!

HOPE

Huh?

ARVESS(V.O)

Please help me. She's going to-

HOPE

Where are you?

ARVESS(V.O.)

Come quick!

Hope leaves the record store and walks to the under construction section of the mall.

ARVESS (V.o)

She's going to find me!

HOPE

Who is?

Hope looks up to see a panel of the ceiling shudder and break open. A bloody and bruised, exhausted Arvess falls to the floor. Hope rushes up and takes him into her harms.

HOPE

How awful. Are you badly hurt?

Who would do this?

A Rattle of chains, and HOPE looks to one side to see Amani standing on an arc of the chain.

HOPE

Amani?

Amani steps off and walks towards the two ambivalently.

AMANI

Put that thing down and walk away.

HOPE

Amani! How could you? What are

you trying to do?

AMANI

It's better if you don't get

involved. That's all there is to it.

HOPE

I won't stand by and let you hurt him.

AMANI

Oh, if you only knew.

But that's the point, isn't it?

The two stare each other down, Hope still cradling the wounded tiny angel and Amani holding her stance. Suddenly the moment is broken with a flash of a magical gunshot. The arc of chain is shot out behind Amani and falls to the floor. Three more shots draw a line between Amani and Hope. Amani backs away, startled, then composes herself to look in the direction of the shots.

AMANI (CTD)

Hello, Joy.

Joy, a buxom blond with curled hair steps out in a T-shirt and jeans from the shadows with a small arsenal of platinum muskets. Which float about her, and she holds another one directly at Amani.

JOY

Would you like to tell me what

you're doing?

Amani is unfazed, unresponsive.

JOY (CTD)

We're both puella, aren't we?

Why in the world would we ever turn

on him? Isn't he the one guiding

us along?

AMANI

Yes he is.

JOY

So why?

AMANI

I'm not going to waste my time.

JOY

Alright, listen. Theoretically

we're both on the same side here,

so how about you just back away

and we don't have any more trouble?

Amani breathes a sigh of frustration.

AMANI

Hope. Remember what we talked

About at school. Your life depends

on it, I assure you.

Joy bears the rifle on Amani's head.

AMANI (CTD)

That's a warning, not a threat.

Amani exits. Joy approaches Hope.

JOY

Are you alright?

HOPE

Please. Can you help him? He's badly

hurt.

JOY

Hang on. Watch this.

Joy lowers her hand and the silver ring with a golden crystal morphs into her hand, becoming a soul gem, an egg-shaped amber Gem set into a golden etched mounting.

HOPE

It's beautiful. What is it?

JOY

This is my soul gem. With it I can

heal Arvess.

HOPE

Arvess? That's this little angel's

name?

JOY

I'm glad I caught you in time. That

other puella could have done

anything.

HOPE

Puella? What's a puella?

JOY

Puella magi is a girl who's been granted

magical powers to protect those in need.

We are the defenders of hopes and dreams

for everyone.

Arvess, now healed opens his eyes and turns to HOPE.

ARVESS

That's what I came to tell you about

Hope. Not just you but your friend

as well.

HOPE

My friend?

A door bursts open, and Prudence comes rushing in carrying a bag of CDs.

PRUDENCE

Hope! There you are! I heard gunshots!

Are you alright?

HOPE

You missed it. Amani was just here

and-

JOY

Don't worry everything is fine.

Prudence sees Arvess, now floating up from Hopes hands.

PRUDENCE

Who are you, blondie, and what is that

thing?

ARVESS

Prudence, Hope, Make a contract with me

and become Puella Magi.

Arvess glows and envelops them all with brilliant light.

ACT 2

Morning. Hope's home. Hope awakens. Arvess awakes next to her on a dresser, and flies up for a pat on the head from Hope before flying out the open window.

Shot of Arvess flying happily in the air in the morning sun of the suburbs.

Hope exist the house to the street and the angel perches on her shoulder to get a smile from Hope before lifting off to float along as she walks to school.

Prudence and Amity walk side by side, laughing with one another.

HOPE (V.O)

(Concealing her voice in a sinister whisper)  
You there. With the name of the song.

You have been seen and your secrets

are known.

PRUDENCE

What?

AMITY

Is something the matter, Prudence?

HOPE (V.O)

Your desires and fears.

Your thoughts and dreams. All are seen.

Even as you think now, we hear you.

Open your mind as your mouth and speak.

PRUDENCE (V.O)

What are you?

HOPE (V.O)

Come and see.

PRUDENCE (V.O)

Where?

HOPE (V.O)

The great rock by the side of the

path. Go behind it.

Prudence ventures behind the rock, weary.

HOPE (V.O CTD)

Behind the rock you will find us.

Prudence walks towards the old oak slowly and we see Hope's hands sneaking up from behind her. She prepares her hands to grab and tickle Prudence's sides.

HOPE

Good morning, Prudence!

Just as she grabs her the shot cuts back to Amity as Prudence lets out a chilling scream.

PRUDENCE

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!

Hope, I'm going to kill you!

Hope runs out laughing with Arvess flying alongside of her. Prudence runs in pursuit. She lays her hands on Hope and holds her back even as she laughs.

PRUDENCE (V.O)  
How did you trick me like that?

HOPE (V.O)

It's because Arvess is here. We don't

need to talk to each other. He can send

our thoughts back and forth.

Prudence looks Hope in the eyes.

PRUDENCE (V.O)

So you can hear me right now?

ARVESS (V.O Floating down)

Yep. This is so easy to move

your thoughts around.

PRUDENCE (V.O looking at Amity)

What about Amity? She'll see him!

HOPE (V.O)

Don't worry. He's only shown himself

to you me and Joy.

PRUDENCE (V.O)

Is this the magic power he has?

ARVESS (V.O)

Like I said, this is nothing.  
If you make a contract, I can give you

much more powerful magic, especially you

Hope.

HOPE (V.O)

Me?

PRUDENCE (V.O looking at Hope again)

Just thinking and we can talk. This is pretty

rad.

HOPE (V.O)

This is just the start, Prudence. Last

Night when I was cleaning my room Arvess

told me all about the magic of Puella.

There's a great mission out there for us.

A mission to help everyone.

AMITY

Hey! Why are you looking at each other

like that? What were you just doing behind

that rock?

HOPE

Huh?

AMITY

You aren't getting too close to each other

are you?

PRUDENCE

What the hell are you on about Amity?

Prudence hugs Hope with an affectionate nuzzle.

AMITY (Stunned, drops her backpack)

No! No! Forbidden! You're both Girls.

Oh, dear lord. (runs off, distraught)

Girls can't love girls! Girls can't love

Girls! Girls can't love girls!

PRUDENCE (Picks up Amity's back pack)

Hey wait, you forgot your bag!

School Room. Prudence and Hope sharing morning gossip. Prudence needles Amity. Amani enters. She shoots a gaze at Hope and Prudence threateningly and both straighten in their seats. Amani walks over to Ziggy's desk, and stands there coldly. Ziggy looks up, then, feigning disinterest takes out a piece of paper and jots something down. He folds the paper and slides it to the corner of the desk. Amani takes the paper and leaves a car key in its place.

AMANI

Third level of the parking garage

at the mall. Blue section. Spot

B3-57.

Ziggy takes the key and slides it in his pocket.

ZIGGY

B3-57.

Amani turns to sit at her desk, and opens the slip of paper which reads "Winchell Airbase." Amani rips up the paper.

Later everyone is reading quietly.

AMANI (V.O)  
Can you hear me Hope DelSoro?

Hope is startled and looks over at Amani who has not moved. Hope recoils slightly, and tries to look like she is reading again.

HOPE (V.O)

Yes, Amani, I can.

AMANI (V.O)

I was afraid of that. But now it

can't be helped. I'm going to leave

School after this period. I'll be gone

all day.

JOY (V.O)

Perhaps you'd like to stay that way.

Amani looks up. The image cranes up through the ceiling into the room above, down the hall to another classroom where Joy is doing math work.

JOY (V.O Ctd)

I don't want you muscling around

The potentials. Leave them alone.

Back in the first classroom Prudence cocks a confident smile

PRUDENCE (V.O)

Feeling outnumbered, huh?

Solidarity, bitch. What now?

Amani glares at Prudence.

AMANI (V.O)

Adults are talking.

Mind your business.

JOY (V.O off screen)

I don't know what your issue is,

but don't make me come down there and

maybe we'll work it out when you get

back.

AMANI (V.O)

Don't do anything stupid while I'm

gone, Hope DelSoro.

Hope fidgets and tries to get back to reading.

Police Station. Hastor reviews the video of the robbery. Lemon enters.

LEMON

Cheif was asking about the gun heist.

HASTOR

Don't disturb me, Lemon.

LEMON

He wants to know if you've called the

ATF.

HASTOR

Of course he does, but we don't want

the ATF here, now do we? We deal with

enough drunken, gun loving smokers to

not bring out the agency that regulates

them. So we're going to do this in

town. We're going to do this quickly

and quietly and when we're done the

AFT can mop up. I got a suspect.

LEMON

A suspect? Five four female, that's

all you've got? Even that's a hunch.

There are a lot of missing guns out

there.

HASTOR

That she couldn't have possibly moved

by herself. No car, no truck, no deep

prints or sets of accomplices no

nothing. Not even tracks from a hand

cart.

LEMON

What does that mean?

HASTOR

Tell chief I called the ATF.  
I left a message on the machine.

No rush, by the way. I'm leaving for

more field work.

HASTOR leaves before LEMON can corner him with more requests.

Joy's apartment. Hope and Prudence sip tea and eating desert cakes.

Arvess relaxes on a couch.

HOPE

These are really, really good. What

are they?

JOY

Hazelnut. Kind of a Mont Blanc cookie.

HOPE

They're fantastic! Where can I get them?

JOY

They're my own recipe. So the secret

dies with me.

PRUDENCE  
I'm just glad I didn't make Rice Crispies

squares. I didn't know I'd be this

outgunned.

Joy smiles and giggles, happy to share her time.

HOPE

So why'd you ask us over? What's the

occasion?

JOY

As potentials I have to show you what

being Puella Magi is all about.

This stuff is secret, and no one will

believe you even if you do tell them

so.

Joy places her Soul Gem on the table and it lights up. The image dives into the Gem where glowing silhouettes of girls fan out in golden light.

JOY (ctd)

We are Pulla Magi.

Each girl shines a different color correspoinding to their soul Gem

JOY (ctd)

Each of us had a wish that Arvess

has granted us. In exchange for

this wish we have been tasked with

defending all mankind.

Shadows appear out of the crowds of girls and beings to spread among them.

JOY (ctd)

Defend them from the encroaching

threat of witches.

The image dives into the darkness which spreads around the girls. Surreal, foreboding, threatening, trippy things take shape. Tangled dark vines and cursed familiars. Scary eyes open in the dark.

JOY (Ctd)

The witches come to mislead innocent

people. They bring them into despair

and cause harm in many ways. They can

cause accidents, put people into a

trance, or worst of all lead them into

their inmost dens, witches labyrinth:

Cruel mindscapes where witches live

And are most Powerful.

Puella's silhouettes appear and dive into the darkness, slicing away at it with their various weapons.

JOY (Ctd)

It is here where Puella magi must go,

to fight the curses of the witches, defeat

them and protect the world from being

consumed by grief, evil, madness and sorrow.

The Puella fight away the witches curses, returning the golden glow of Joy's soul gem. The image pulls out of the other side of the soul gem and we see Hope and Prudence staring as the glow fades. They look at Joy.

JOY (CTD)

If you have a wish, Arvess will grant it.

You will gain magic powers and with them

you will defend the city.

HOPE

So you made a wish, Joy?

JOY

Yes I did.

HOPE

What was it for?

JOY

My wish?

Joy gets visibly on edge.

HOPE

Yeah. I want to know.

JOY

My wish was personal. It wouldn't

really...I'll tell you later.

Promise.

ARVESS (Floating around)

Be sure you think really hard

about this. You only get one wish.

But the emotional energy you

emanate can make it real. When

you think about it your own power

is what makes your wishes come true.

We just open the door for you.

PRUDENCE

So now we just make a wish?

ARVESS

If you want. There's no set time or

place for any of these things. I

can grant a wish anywhere, any when.

Once you make your wish the contract

with me is formed. It's easy!

PRUDENCE

Well, OK, then. I uuuuuh. Hm.

I wish for-

JOY

No! Hang on. Wait! Wait.

ARVESS

Is there a problem, Joy?

JOY

Uh. Well, it's just that these

girls don't know the rules of

fighting. I'd rather show them

how to fight and what they are

in for.

ARVESS

There's really no need for that.

Once the contract is formed they

can handle the rest by themselves.

JOY

All the same, I'd feel better if

they knew what being Puella means.

ARVESS

That's fine. But you don't have

to listen to her. If you have

a wish right now, I can grant it.

PRUDENCE

Ah, well, I can't think of anything

right away. You Hope?

HOPE

I wish for...

Joy smiles nervously.

HOPE (CTD)

No. I'm blank too.

PRUDENCE

I'm sure I'll think of something.

JOY

Well in the meantime, how about

you join me on a good old fashioned

witch hunt?

HOPE

What, really?

JOY

I can keep you protected with my

magic so don't be afraid at all.

I'll handle any witches we may find.

PRUDENCE

Yeah. Sounds like a plan. What do

We do?

JOY

Well, I like to hunt witches at night

so what do you say that at seven we

start it up?

HOPE

Yeah. Well that gives us just under

two hours to kill.

PRUDENCE

Oh, Crap! I forgot!

HOPE

What is it?

PRUDENCE

I still have that CD from yesterday

I have to give to Will. Can we take

a trip to the hospital real quick?

HOPE

Yeah. Joy. Before the big hunt

let's just stop by there.

JOY (Smiling)

There's no rush at all. We can

absolutely spare the time. You two

go get ready. I'll be right there.

Hope and Prudence exit

ARVESS

Joy, don't you want them to become

puella magi?

JOY  
I want them to make the right choice.

I want them to have the time I didn't

have. Time to think it over.

ARVESS

I gave you enough time. I mean,

you said you wouldn't be here if-

JOY

Yeah. You did save me.

ARVESS

So what's the issue?

JOY

Arvess, I'm grateful, but I want

them to know everything I know. That's

not too much to ask even from you.

Please don't come on this hunt.

I need to be with them alone, but I

Promise to bring them back to you.

You're Our Vestige of salvation.

She places her hand on the angels head.

Hospital – approaching sunset.

Prudence walks through the hallways. She enters Will's Room as he is in his bed his left hand does not move in any of his actions.

PRUDENCE

Hi. Will. Is it alright to talk?

WILL

Yeah, sure. Come on in.

PRUDENCE

Sorry I don't have much time, I only

barely made the end of visiting hours.

WILL

Well, I'm glad you came. It gets

lonely here sometimes.

PRUDENCE  
Lots of guys from school are asking

about you. They want to know when

you're coming back.

WILL

Well, tell them before the end of the year.

PRUDENCE  
You think?

WILL  
Yeah. I mean, I won't be at 100% but

I should be back before then. What

about you, your friends?

PRUDENCE

Huh?

WILL

Uhm. I don't know. How's Hope?

PRUDENCE  
Oh, she's fine we're thinking about

joining a club with this other girl,

Joy, who's a year ahead of us.

WILL

What are you going to do?

PRUDENCE  
Help people, fight for justice,

save the world. Girl stuff.

WILL

What about Amity?

PRUDENCE  
What about her?

WILL

Nothing. I just remember-

PRUDENCE  
You know Amity?

WILL

Yeah, from French class, but she's

you're friend.

PRUDENCE  
She just dumped Logan.

WILL

Oh, Damn.

PRUDENCE  
Well, dumped is harsh she preemptively

disengaged him.

WILL

What?

PRUDENCE

She turned him down.

WILL

Preemptively disengaged is a stupid way

To say it.

PRUDENCE

Fight me.

WILL

You're silly.

PRUDENCE  
What did you do today?

WILL

More physical therapy. They're

starting me walking again, and

I can only use one of the

banisters, so it's rough.

PRUDENCE

It's great to hear you can walk now.

WILL

It was more like stumbling, but

there's promise for my legs at least.

PRUDENCE

Does it hurt?

WILL

Yeah. It hurts. I don't really

want to talk about it.

PRUDENCE

OK, well, I got you something. Get

well gift.

WILL (with forced smile)

Who is it this time, Vivaldi? Mozart?

Dvorak?

PRUDENCE

No one classical today.

WILL

OK, show me.

PRUDENCE  
Also, it's not violin music. You

play guitar too sometimes, right?

WILL

Well, yeah. You know. Slash.

Hendrix. Kottke. It's fun.

She holds up a CD of Django Reinhardt.

WILL (CTD)

Oh, a little Django.

PRUDENCE  
You know him?

WILL  
Just the name.

PRUDENCE

Yeah. Here. Bring over your player.

Will hands her a CD walkman

WILL

I can't believe you even found one

of these things.

PRUDENCE

Well, they're cheap.

They put in earphones, leaning in together and listen as (A1) "Limehouse blues" begins to play.

WILL

This is a violin piece

PRUDENCE

Yeah, but pay attention to the guitar.

Hear how fast he is?

WILL

He's not bad.

PRUDENCE

I found out about him yesterday.

He lived in a little wagon and his

wife made cellulose flowers. One

night the flowers caught fire and

it burned him badly. The doctors

told him he would never play again.

But he healed. When it was done he

could only play lead with two fingers.

WILL

He's doing all this with two

fingers?

PRUDENCE  
That's right. I want you to know

that you can get by this, and just

maybe you'll be like Django. You can

play again. Just like him, for you

even a little is more than almost

anyone else.

Will closes his eyes and listens more intently he struggles, trying to command his left hand to move. It lays there inert and immobile.

Will winces as he tries to move it more forcefully.

PRUDENCE

Are you alright?

WILL

Yeah, it's nothing.

Prudence tries to look optimistic as they both go back to listening.

Police station.

Lemon runs to Hastor's Door.

LEMON

Hastor, you know the weapon robbery?

HASTOR

You've got something for my case?

LEMON

I might. But not here. Head down

to the AV room.

The two make their way downstairs.

HASTOR

What do you have, Lemon?

LEMON

Detective, I was given security

clearance for my last assignment.

What I'm about to do may be a breach

of that clearance so I'd ask that

you keep this between us.

HASTOR

I didn't think you cared.

LEMON

Now that the military is involved

damn right I care.

HASTOR

The Military?

The two enter the AV room, and Lemon gets behind a projector

LEMON

You told me to inform you of anything

involving a five foot four female. I

wasn't expecting anything like this.

The projector clicks on and there is a sketch of Amani.

LEMON (CTD)

Fam-ten that's her designation. You're

looking at the first person to ever

single handedly infiltrate an air force

base against a full offensive.

HASTOR

What?

LEMON

Happened today at roughly two pm. Just

Like your suspect, her objective was

arms. Among other things she took

assault weapons and grenades.

HASTOR

What? I'm only hearing about this now?

There would be an APB out on her from

here to the border.

LEMON

Yeah. If that was all she took, this

situation a top secret incident. Homeland

security is going ape shit on this.

HASTOR

How does one little girl push through a

heavily defended airbase?

LEMON

Reports coming in are, frankly, beyond

belief. No one knows how but she had an

offensive system no one has seen before.

To get to the point, she stole this.

The projector flips over a schematic for a MOAB bomb

HASTOR

Oh my God.

Industrial district. Dusk. Joy, Hope and Prudence are looking around as Joy is leading them with her glowing soul gem.

HOPE

So what are we looking for?

JOY

Hang on.

PRUDENCE  
What is it?

JOY

I think someone might be in trouble.

HOPE

Trouble how, I mean-

JOY looks up and suddenly takes off running.

PRUDENCE  
Geez, what's so-

HOPE

Oh, no.

At the top of a water tower a woman is about to jump. The two remaining girls run after Joy as the woman leans and drops. With superhuman speed Joy rushes forward as a torrent of yellow ribbons spring from her. She leaps into the Air spider-manning her way up the side of the building while lassoing the woman and swinging her out of harms way as the woman's body skirts just above the surface of the broken concrete below. Joy catches the woman before repelling down to the sidewalk. Hope and Prudence arrive on the scene. The woman is unconscious.

HOPE

That was incredible!

PRUDENCE  
You did it without even thinking!

You saved her life.

JOY

You learn how to react pretty quick.

It also helps to have a good sense

of your surroundings. But what you

need to see is this.

She pulls back the woman's hair to reveal a runic mark with a crest imprinted on her neck.

HOPE  
What is that?

JOY

It's a witches' kiss. They send out

familiars into the city which mark

innocent people draw them to their

grief seed, and instruct them to

do horrible acts.

HOPE

Grief seed?

JOY

I'm moving a little fast here.

But don't worry. You're going to

see for yourself. It's probably

inside this building.

The trio enter into the abandoned factory and wander down corridors being led by the light of Joy's Soul Gem. They come across a dead rat.

HOPE

Ew, gross.

JOY

Get ready. This won't be pretty.

Joy walks forward and the girls find themselves a ring of more than a hundred dead rats all keeled over.

PRUDENCE

Oh my God. What happened here?

JOY

The witch was warming up. It

started with rats, then tried to feed

on humans.

HOPE

The witch was here?

JOY

Not was. Is.

PRUDENCE

What?

HOPE

Oh no. Where is it?

The girls scan around the darkness looking for signs of a monster.

JOY

Don't worry, you guys. It's

right here.

At the center of the ring of dead rats is a concrete pedestal formed from a crumbled pillar. Joy brings her Soul Gem to it and in the center of this pillar is a smokey shadow that is translucent and etherial.

PRUDENCE

Is that a ghost?

JOY

No. That's the grief seed. It's

like an egg that never hatches. The

monster that lives inside of it calls

out for others to come and rip its shell

open. Set it free. But nothing can.

So it hurts everything it touches.

HOPE

That's terrible.

JOY

But as Puella we can do something

others can't. We can go into the closed

space of the Grief seed. Inside the egg.

Kill the witch inside and it becomes an

empty husk. It will materialize in this

world and won't hurt anyone ever again.

PRUDENCE

We're going inside that thing?

JOY

That's right but don't worry.

Joy picks up a lead pipe at her feet, and it transforms into a glistening, ornate mace which she hands off to Prudence.

JOY(ctd)

You won't go empty handed.

HOPE

I'm ready.

JOY

Hope?

HOPE

I believe in you, Joy. If you're with

us I'm sure we'll be fine.

JOY

Each one of these is different. I don't

know what's in there any more than you

do. But just stay back and I'll be sure

to protect you.

HOPE

Right.

JOY

OK. Let's get around the grief seed.

The girls do. Joy places her Soul Gem next to the grief seed.

JOY(CTD)

Hold hands. We're going in.

The Girls hold hands and Joy's magic erupts in a maelstrom, which

blows away the dead rats and draws the three into the shadow of the Grief Seed. Just then Amani appears on a balcony. She is clearly distraught that she didn't make it in time.

AMANI

Damn it!

Inside the Witches barrier. The landscape is composed of towering geometric buildings and enormous byways and bridges. Things that look like planes and blimps soar between the multicolored buildings. It looks as though the girls have been transported into an acid psychedelic verson of Friz Lang's Metropolis. Crooked people made of sharp geometric shapes make their way through the streets and buildings, their movement broken and unnatural.

PRUDENCE  
What are those things?

JOY

Familiars. They leak out of the

Grief seed to wreak havoc on the outside

the only way to stop them is to kill the

witch.

HOPE

What are they going to do?

JOY

Don't overreact. They'll treat us

just like one of them unless the

witch is alerted.

HOPE

OK. OK. Where is the witch?

What now?

JOY

This barrier is a circular. They

usually are. If we get to the center

we'll probably find it.

The girls run, Joy out pacing the other two. Around a corner Hope bumps into a familiar and is knocked down. The familiar stares at her, the reflective, translucent geometric shapes reflecting and refracting her visage. She looks scared for a moment, but Joy brings her to her feet, reassures her that the situation is under control with a confident nod and the girls begin running again. They come to an enormous sky scraper at the center of the barrier.

PRUDENCE

So this is it?

JOY

Hang on.

Spotlights center onto JOY from the building.

JOY(CTD)

Yeah. That's what I thought.

Alarm sirens like the terrified songs of girls break the air. Familiars jump down onto the oncoming bridge of the building, they hold up jagged fingers in defense, and close in on the three.

PRUDENCE  
Well, they know now.

HOPE

They're getting closer, Joy.

What do we do?

JOY

When your host plays the music,

you dance.

With a confident smile Joy leaps into the air as (A2) Meat Puppets "Open wide" begins to play. In traditional Japanese anime magical girl fashion Joy transforms magically into a full puella magi. Dressed in sleek boots, stockings a skirt, a corseted top with a white shirt and a yellow ribbon tie. Her soul gem becomes a floral pin in her hair along side a beret cap.

She summons a flurry of muskets that she fires in quick succession towards the building. The girls break through the perimeter of the skyscraper. Along the way Joy firefights her way through an atrium, and an entrance to the center of the building which is much like a cathedral and into the inner sanctum which is a giant garden with a dome ceiling. Prudence bats away some familiars who come for her and Hope.

Joy fires and bashes her way through a line of familiars as the witch rears her head, a misshapen Rose bush which rises out of the Garden shedding red petals almost as though it weeps. Runes which, when translated into english read "Gertrude" are written in the witches Dome Ceiling.

JOY

Look closely, girls. That is the enemy

This is her home.

She fires rifle shots into the pillars above the witches head, almost as warning shots.

JOY(CTD)

And this is how you bring down the house.

JOY dashes in one direction firing shots at the enormous rose-beast she deals a shot of serious damage that sends the witch tumbling.

PRUDENCE  
She did it!

HOPE

Way to go Joy!

Joy scans the bulk of the beast.

JOY

Come on. Come on.

A vine, with frightful speed shoots out of the center of the monster, and tangles Joy by the legs, hoisting her up into the air upside down. The witch lumbers upwards to closely examine the Puella.

PRUDENCE  
Oh no!

HOPE

Joy! Get out of there!

JOY

Don't worry. I wasn't going to

embarrass myself in front of

potentials. Watch close.

Joy un-does her ribbon and whips it up towards the ceiling, where it wraps around seemingly thin air. From out of this form two ribbons that are intersecting. The ribbons all connect to the bullet holes Joy fired before she started fighting the witch, making a pentagram of ribbons between each of the five bullet holes. The Rose witch appears to hesitate as Joy pulls on the ribbon in her hand that rips down the pillars. The dome comes crashing in on the Witch as Joy escapes to create a ribbon shield around the girls. After the crash has ended, Joy steps out of the protection. The battered witch lurches out from under the rubble in tatters. Joy makes a pistol with her finger which flashes over magically and is clad in platinum, which quickly flashes and glows into an enormous canon. Joy aims it directly at the crippled witch.

JOY

TIRO FINALE!

Joy fires and an enormous blast erupts from the cannon which blasts into the main bush of the witch. The Witch dies, burns and disintegrates, as the giant canon on Joy's hand recoils and becomes a classy teacup. She turns to the girls and takes a sip before smiling at them happily.

HOPE

You did it!

PRUDENCE

You killed the witch! That was

Genius!

The world around them begins to warp.

HOPE

What? What's going on?

JOY

We're fine. It's over.

The world dematerializes the two ordinary girls cry out as they fade away.

Back in the real world, Amani waits anxiously by the shadow of the grief seed. The seed flashes into physical being from its shadow form and the girls appear around it just as they were, the soul gem and grief seed now rest side by side. Joy turns.

JOY

I was wondering if I'd see you here.

HOPE

Amani!

Prudence holds up her mace that has now reverted to its pipe form.

PRUDENCE

Hey, Stay back.

JOY

Don't worry, girls.

Even if she's been sneaky, she's

still a Puella.

AMANI

So there were no wishes made.

JOY

Not yet.

AMANI

Good. There's no need for that.

HOPE

You fight witches too, right, Amani?

AMANI

I have to.

HOPE

Then you should join up with Joy.

The two of you can fight together.

JOY

I agree. Why not we move past the

problems and focus on protection?

AMANI pauses for a moment before turning away

AMANI

I've tried that way before.

I'm not a team player.

She is about to walk away.

JOY

The offer is always open.

HOPE

Hey Amani.

AMANI

Yes?

HOPE

What did you wish for?

Amani pauses to calculate her response.

AMANI

I wished for the one thing that

I wanted the most and I don't

regret it.

Amani walks out. Hope appears to get lost in thought.

PRUDENCE  
Hey! Wait!

JOY

Let her go. She has her own battles

to fight.

PRUDENCE  
That thing you did with the ceiling

was phenomenal! Did you plan that?

JOY

It was kind of a backup plan. Worth

a shot. When I saw the Witch wasn't

going to be too tough I thought I'd

show off a bit.

PRUDENCE  
So if I become Puella magi I can

take down an entire building?

That's unbelievable!

JOY

Prudence, you have to be responsible

with the magic you use.

PRUDENCE  
Yeah, well I assume that but I'm

just saying. With a little style,

you know some sprezzatura you can

really kick some ass and come out

like a damn rock star. It's just,

you know, pretty rad.

JOY

Hope?

HOPE

Yeah?

JOY

What's the matter?

HOPE

I was just wondering, you know?

JOY

Wondering what?

HOPE

What do I want the most?

Prudence barely lets the moment sink in.

PRUDENCE  
You know what this needs? An after

party. Let's go back to Joy's place

and get some Pizza.

JOY

Pizza?

PRUDENCE  
Yeah, what's wrong with Pizza?

JOY

Nothing, until you learn to cook

and you discover the tomato-fontina

torte.

HOPE

Oh, well aren't you classy?

JOY

Trust me, one bite and every

time you eat pizza all you'll

think is, why can't this be

Joy's torte?

PRUDENCE  
I'll take you up on that challenge

JOY

Then you're doing the dishes when

we're done.

PRUDENCE  
Hey!

HOPE

You don't want her to do the dishes.

Not if you don't want them broken.

PRUDENCE  
Hope! You little traitor.

The two girls laugh and celebrate away as the image shifts to the Grief Seed and Soul Gem the two artifacts begin to hum in ominous resonance with each other before blackout.

Roll Credits


	3. Joy

Chenalos presents

A 14 rivers play for the screen

Based upon Puella Magi Madoka Magica

The Magic of Hope

Episode 2: Joy

Chenalos at yahoo  


at ChenalosFiction twitter

Suburban household. Predawn. Hector and Judy, a couple in their 40s get into their car. Judy calls for her daughter.

JUDY

Joy! Come on. It's time to go.

JOY

I'm coming. I'm coming.

Joy, still groggy gets into the back seat with her bag and a pillow.

HECTOR

Judy, did you check to make sure I

brought everything?

JUDY

Yes, Hector. It was all

packed last night, so don't be nervous.

HECTOR

I'm not nervous. That's hardly enough

to go a weekend, Joy.

JOY

I have everything I need.

JUDY

All your toiletries?

JOY

Yes. It's four AM. Shut up.

HECTOR

We have to make it to the resort

in time. But don't worry. Just

sleep for the ride.

JUDY

Yeah. It's a long ride, sweetie.

JOY

Thanks dad. Night, mom.

The car pulls out and the family rides off into the rising dawn.

Further down the road the car crosses a van where partiers are crashed out and drinking. There is a cliff on the other side of the road.

HECTOR

Wow. Can you believe that?

JUDY

There was a concert up the road a

little last night. Heard about it

on the news.

HECTOR

Oh, Jesus.

JUDY

Yeah. There could be drunks on the

road. Be careful.

HECTOR

Yeah. I am.

Just up the road there is a car that is swerving coming from the opposite direction.

JUDY

See? That guy's drunk.

HECTOR

I'll slow down, we'll get right

past him.

Another car pulls out and the oncoming car swerves to avoid it, fishtails, and loses control

JUDY

Hector! Look out!

The oncoming car swipes the side of Hector's car and sends it through the guard rail. The car nose-dives down the gorge before tumbling into a horrible wreck.

Joy is laid out bleeding on the face of a rock. She gasps for air, scarcely even aware of what is going on. Arvess appears.

ARVESS

Hello, Joy.

JOY

What happened?

ARVESS

When the car crashed you were thrown

out and landed here.

JOY

Mom. Dad.

ARVESS

They're at the bottom of this gorge.

But their brains have stopped working.

JOY

What?

ARVESS

In a few minutes your brain will stop

working too. Then it will go cold and

your body will deteriorate.

JOY

No.

ARVESS

It's true.

JOY

No.

ARVESS

If you stay the way you are there

is nothing I can do.

JOY

Help.

ARVESS

But you can keep going.

JOY

Help.

ARVESS

Just make a contract with me and

become puella magi.

JOY

Help me.

ARVESS

I'll grant you one wish. Anything

you want. Make a contract with me.

Joy raises her blooded hand off the rock face reaching up to the miniature angel.

JOY

Please help me.

ARVESS

Is that all?

TITLE

JOY

End Teaser. Roll intro.

ACT 1

Winchell airbase. A soldier guards the perimeter. He is stationed at one of the gates and reports back to his booth to do some paperwork. A pair of jets takeoff down the runway. Their roar fades into the distance as the Guard looks up to see a figure in the distance. It is clad in a white cloak, and a wide brim panama hat. The guard goes back to paperwork, only to look up and see that the silhouetted figure has come even closer, and at a surprisingly fast rate, somehow. The shape is stationary and ominous. The guard picks up a wireless comm.

GUARD

Perimeter to base.

COMM  
Go ahead.

GUARD

I got a civvy. Range 150 meters East.

COMM

Yeah. We see 'em.

GUARD

Any info on this?

COMM  
Probably just a hiker. Might have

come out of the hills. Advise to

clear to Rackeston.

The guard looks away for a moment and when he looks again, the figure is much closer. The guard walks to speaking distance.

GUARD

Civilian, you are within the perimeter

of Winchell Airbase, I've been advised

to direct you to Rackeston. It's a

town five miles down the road going

North.

The figure does not respond.

GUARD (CTD)

Are you in need of water or supplies?

I can arrange for rations or call

a taxi.

The figure is still motionless as a Jet's engine roars overhead

GUARD (CTD)

If you are injured, or in need of

medical assistance please let me

know. Otherwise I am going to ask

you to get on the road.

The figure starts to walk towards the guard.

GUARD (CTD)

The road is to your right please move

in that direction.

Still approaching.

GUARD (CTD)

Please bear right, I am asking you

not to approach the perimeter.

Still approaching.

GUARD (CTD)

Civilian, this is a military facility

you are not permitted entry.

Still approaching.

GUARD (CTD)

I repeat, you are not permitted to

enter this facility. Be on your way.

Still approaching.

GUARD (CTD)

You are behaving in a hostile manner.

I will not hesitate to defend this base.

Still approaching.

GUARD (CTD)

This is your final warning. If you

continue to approach this base I will

detain you.

Still approaching. Guard raises his sidearm.

GUARD (CTD)

Get on the ground. On your knees,

hands up facing me right now. Open

up your poncho.

Still approaching.

GUARD (CTD)

Stand down. You are being placed

under arrest. Lay flat on the

ground right now.

Still approaching.

GUARD (CTD)

One more step and I open fire.

Is that understood?

The figure stops.

GUARD

Get on the ground. Get on the

ground right now. On your knees.

On your knees. Open your poncho

And put your hands behind your

Head. On your knees.

A reverse of the figure framed on the guard shows that the two have made direct eye contact. The figure raises up one big goose step into the air, the screaming guard goes safeties off. Vignette still frames of the guard aiming, the overhead of the base and the Jets flying high above. The figure knees the guard in the stomach, removes his gun and beats him unconscious with the butt of the pistol. The figure throws off the Hat and Poncho and Amani, with a bandana covering her face, is revealed to be the aggressor. She points the gun into the air and unloads shots into the sky until the magazine is dry. Soldiers in the base stand to ready after hearing the shots. Each of them arm up and leave their barracks, to assume defensive positions. Alarms sound.

Amani, now with a different gun, a Styr AUG, walks into the base as (B1) "To sing true of love" by Crushed Out starts playing.

Soldiers pour out from behind a building, but suppressive fire from Amani forces them to take cover behind a building. Once her fire stops the soldiers come from around the corner to find that she is gone. The soldiers fan out looking for her as Amani looks out at them from inside the window of one building. Soldiers move around a corner, and see a Humvee moving directly at them. They duck out of the way. The soldiers turn and open fire on the Humvee. The vehicle hits another building and lurches to a stop. Soldiers rush in to open the passenger door, but the cab is empty and the throttle has been weighted down. Bullets come raining down from Amani firing an MP40 above from a rooftop, forcing the soldiers to again duck for cover. One of the soldiers takes a hit to the leg and is dragged away.

SOLDIER

She's moving toward the control tower.

Everyone fortify that position.

Soldiers redeploy around the command center. Things become quiet as the song continues to list away. Sniper rounds hit above the soldiers heads. They fire in all directions guessing where the shot came from.

SEARGENT

Hold your fire! Hold your fire!

SOLDIER  
I don't have a location, Sergeant.

SEARGENT

Everyone Prone! Eyes up.

The soldiers go belly down and scan the base for Amani. The sergeant sees a muzzle flash across the base and a bullet zips by him and hits a building in the background.

SOLDIER

Suppressing fire!

The troops shoot at the hanger.

SEARGENT

On your feet. She's pinned in

Ordinance hanger. Flank and

move in.

The soldiers comply. Three troops move into the hanger, guns drawn but see nothing until one of the men, Murphy, spots blood drops.

MURPHY

I've got blood.

The men follow the droplets to a locked door that reads "Heavy ordinance."

MURPHY (CTD)

She got inside the heavy ordinance

Bunker.

Clancy, another soldier steps up.

CLANCY

That's impossible. There's no way

in there without clearance.

MURPHY

We're in an unusual situation here,

Clancy. The way she's moving around

I wouldn't doubt anything. Brutus,

you're on ordinance you can open it,

right?

Brutus approaches and enters the key combination.

BRUTUS

Be ready for whatever is in there.

Reverse shot as the door opens reveals that Amani is behind them. A nightstick is shown swinging into the Heads, bellies and sides of the soldiers. The next shot are the soldiers all knocked out Amani standing. She drops the nightstick and a packet of fake blood then walks into the bunker, down some stairs. At the bottom are racks and racks of bombs and rockets for aircraft. She makes her way past them all and into a wide space where an enormous bomb, 30 Feet long with "MOAB" written on the side of it. She reacts ambivalently to seeing the weapon.

Back up top a second wave of soldiers enter the hanger inside they find the injured trio. A soldier makes his way down the stairs and into the bunker where he finds the MOAB's loading trolley empty. He comms up to the surface

SOLDIER

Sarge, we got a problem down here!

At that moment another Humvee springs to life and rolls across the tarmac. Soldiers left up top start opening fire but the truck blows through a security gate and heads down the road. Amani is shown driving. She checks her rear view mirror and continues on.

Joy's apartment. She serves up a tomato fontina torte to Prudence and Hope. They eat. Prudence looks at Joy.

PRUDENCE

Joy, marry me.

HOPE

You made this yourself?

JOY

Yeah. I wanted to be a chef, but

my plans changed.

HOPE

Hey there's still a chance. I'm

sure once you're not a puella

anymore you can do whatever you

want.

Joy's attitude softens.

JOY

Hope, I'm always going to be a

puella.

HOPE

Huh?

PRUDENCE

What? Arvess' contracts can't

last forever, right?

JOY

They do.

HOPE

You mean you won't graduate or

grow up or get a job? You won't

get married or take trips or

raise a family or anything?

JOY

When I made my wish I made my

choice. I'm a Puella now. I

will always be a puella.

And it means more than that.

Joy takes out the grief seed she obtained from killing the last witch. She lays both the Grief seed and her soul gem on the table. Her soul Gem has a brownish tiger's eye shade, not the brilliant golden amber it once had.

JOY (CTD)

This is the Grief seed I got from

killing the witch. Now look at my

soul gem. It's not as clear as before.

HOPE

Is there something wrong with it?

JOY

Yes. And you should see what it is

before you make your wish.

ARVESS' voice comes out from above.

ARVESS

Remember, though, you can make your

wish anytime. Even now if you want.

The girls look up to see the angel floating down to rest on a counter in the room.

JOY

That's right. But if I'm going to

teach you, then I want you to see

everything.

The grief seed is a black sphere with pewter etchings and there is something like a pin that goes through it, a pointed end on one side and an etched head on the other. Joy takes her Faberge-egg like soul gem and holds it in her hand, then puts the jagged end of the grief seed in its base. She takes several deep breaths to brace herself. Then she pushes the point of the grief seed into her soul gem, even pushing the head down into the seed, fully extending the needle of the seed into the gem. She clenches her teeth, gasps and winces in pain before twisting the seed in the base of the soul gem. The gem lights up and the opaque fragments in the soul gem are drawn to the pin of the grief seed, leaving the soul gem brilliant, golden once more. Wincing in pain, Joy twists the seed back to its original position, extracts it, before setting them both back on the table and keeling back, suddenly exhausted. The other two girls rush over to her.

HOPE

Joy! Are you alright?

PRUDENCE

Hey! What was that? Joy, what

just happened?

Joy regains her composure.

JOY

I'm OK. The pain only lasts for

as long as you have to do it.

HOPE

Pain? What pain? What did

you just do?

JOY

The taint that can build up in

Your soul gem will distort

your perceptions. If you want to

keep your head clear you have to

keep using grief seeds. What's

more, The seeds you use get filled

up to the point where they become

useless. So you have to keep

hunting witches for more. But look,

You see my soul gem now? It's

Back to the way it was. Golden

and clean. If you become puella

you have to keep your soul gem

pure. That's what the grief

seeds are for.

PRUDENCE

Oh my god.

HOPE

Joy. Is there any other way?

JOY

No. Wishes don't come for free.

This is the price you pay. I've

saved some people, I've failed

others. For everything you give

something gets taken. That's what

it means to make your wish. Grief

seeds give you that reminder.

PRUDENCE

So you're always doing this to yourself?

ARVESS

Witches must be destroyed. As puella

are born from wishes, witches are

born from despair. Puella magi

spread optimism and happiness

and witches spread sorrow and curses.

JOY

Yes, so it only makes sense that Puella

would stop people from giving into

that curse as that woman was doing.

PRUDENCE

What does it feel like to use a grief

seed?

JOY

Being crushed under ice cold broken

glass. It never feels any better

than the first time. There's nothing

you can do to avoid it. But it's short.

Thirty seconds every two days should

be fine. I know it's a lot to bear.

But if you believe in your wish and in

yourself you can make it through

anything. Don't you think so, Amani?

The other girls turn and they see Amani on the balcony.

PRUDENCE

Hey! Don't sneak up like that!

JOY

Don't worry. She's been there for

the last ten minutes at least.

If she was going to do anything

she would have by now.

PRUDENCE

Hey, creeper. Maybe you could, I

don't know, be less of a stalker?

Might work out for you.

AMANI

A witch is hatching.

JOY

Where?

AMANI

Three blocks from here.

HOPE

Joy. Should we do something?

JOY

You could have told me sooner.

Amani does not respond.

HOPE

You want us to help on this one?

Joy reaches into her purse and gets a key.

JOY

Not now. Amani and I need to talk.

Here's my spare key. Let yourselves

out and lock up.

Hope takes the key.

HOPE

OK, and good luck, Joy.

Amani looks cold at not having been acknowledged. Joy gets to the window.

JOY

Let's move.

Dark streets, the girls now transformed and with Arvess in tow run under the street lights to an alley way.

AMANI

Corner of fifth avenue and Green.

It's in there.

Joy lights up her soul gem and the two walk towards the ethereal grief seed at the back. The seed is very faint.

JOY

This is pretty new.

ARVESS

It can't be more than a day since

it appeared.

JOY

Usually these things take a full day

day to a week before I can detect

them.

AMANI

Shall we begin?

JOY

It's almost like you knew it

would be here. How did you know

Amani?

AMANI

I'm good at detective work.

JOY

We can talk about this later.

The girls enter the grief seed and it is a gothic cathedral with a factory. A jungle of carved stone, churning pistons and gears.

ARVESS

This witch has built a big labyrinth

in such a short time. It may be hard

to navigate.

JOY

Should we scout it out before making

an assault?

AMANI

No need. I know the way. Just so you know

you see this emblem?

Amani points to a symbol etched in rock it's of a pair of tennis shoes.

JOY

What about it?

AMANI

It's etched throughout the labyrinth

and it gets bigger as you approach

the witch. If you see an emblem smaller

than the last one then you're going the

wrong way.

JOY

Let's go then.

Amani cocks a sawed-off pump action shotgun.

JOY (CTD)

And please, wait until we meet trouble

before bringing those out.

The girls run through the labyrinth following larger and larger icons abruptly they cross a familiar which is in the form of a great stone angel statue with gears protruding from its form.

AMANI

It's spotted us.

JOY

That's trouble.

The girls unleash their firepower as the angel swings a sword of a multitude of grinding gears and chain at them. Joy dodges.

JOY

Amani, I can't push him back with-

Amani has vanished.

JOY (Ctd)

Amani? Where are you?

The angel charges and Joy retreats, slinging into the ceilings with her ribbon, but the ribbon is caught in a drive shaft and begins to pull her in. Out of desperation, Joy shoots out the mechanism which comes loose and Joy falls back to the ground just as the angel towers over her. As it raises up its sword Amani is now seen on its back holding on to one of its wings. She puts her shotgun to the head of the angel and fires blowing out a spray of stone and gears, dropping the familiar inanimate at Joy's feet. The girls look at each other uncertainly for a moment before a work whistle blows loudly.

AMANI

Things are about to be re-arranged.

Remember what I said.

JOY

What do you mean?

Suddenly the ground shifts, and the block which Amani is standing on is whisked away on tracks in the pillars. Joy's block is sent plunging down, as she hangs on. The Cathedral sends blocks and arches whisking in different directions, rearranging everything. When it is all done Joy gets to her feet and starts running. She keeps pressing on, seeing that the repeated emblem is becoming bigger and bigger with each one she passes until she runs over an enormous tile on the ground that is just that single emblem. Upon this she exits a corridor, and sees Amani waiting for her at a huge sealed stone gate.

AMANI

You made it. Well done.

JOY

It's in there, isn't it?

AMANI

Yes. It's very dangerous right now

because it's coming to grips with

itself.

JOY

Coming to grips?

AMANI

Witches know that they are

monsters.

JOY

I don't get it but it doesn't

really matter. We'll have to

wait until this gate opens, or

pull back until the seed is

more mature. I mean unless you

can think of a way to bust-

Amani is holding a remote detonator, extending the antenna with her teeth. Joy looks again to see that high explosive charges have been rigged all over the gate. Amani clicks the safety off, the indicator light going from green to red. Joy runs to an alcove and covers her head. Amani is right there with her, as if she was waiting for her there.

AMANI

Fire in the hole.

Amani hits the button and the blast blows the gate open in an enshrouding billow of smoke.

AMANI

I didn't need that much.

Wasteful.

JOY

You want to move in?

AMANI

No. the witch is coming.

A huge, faceless woman having long black hair with a rainbow dress, walking on spider's legs emerges from the smoke. A name in runes "Brunhilde" is shown on screen. It cranes its head on an elongating neck to seemingly survey the area. She is suddenly pelted with bullet holes. Amani is laying prone with a fifty caliber sniper rifle pointed at the witch.

AMANI

You take point. I'll cover you.

JOY

Where are you getting all these

guns?

AMANI

This is America.

Amani opens fire again as Joy slings her ribbon up to a high arch and swings into action. She lays out a line of her muskets which fire their shots into the body of the witch, and slings her back. Joy lands and moves in but the beast gets to its feet and knocks Joy down with a spider's leg strike. The witch walks over Joy and its abdomen opens to reveal a great and terrible eye which comes in close to stare at Joy in hostility. Amani shoots the eye and the witch cranes back with a scream.

AMANI

Joy! Now!

Joy fans out eight muskets which shoot the eight legs and pass through them into the walls beyond. Ribbons appear through the bullet holes which pull taught, suspending the witch in the air. Joy springs to her feet, points her finger as a gun at the restrained witch, Joy's cannon re-appears and comes to the witches face at point blank range.

JOY

Tiro finale!

The cannon shot obliterates the witch, and the labyrinth disintegrates leaving the girls standing in the alley way, now with a fresh grief seed lying on the ground. Amani stands, shouldering her browning fifty cal rifle. Joy is shown holding her teacup, but she shakes slightly now and has to calm her nerves before taking a sip. She takes a few moments to compose herself.

A park, fountain, night, street lights. Joy and Amani sit at a park bench. Joy converts her soul gem into a ring which she places on her finger. The finger has her emblem marked on the nail.

JOY

You need to use the grief seed?

AMANI

Yeah.

Amani quickly extrudes the contamination from her soul gem, clenching her teeth under a grimace before removing the seed. Amani looks at her purified, glowing purple soul gem. She hands the seed over to Joy.

JOY

I've got extras. Plus I already

fixed once today. You keep it.

AMANI

Alright.

JOY

That was very impressive back there,

Amani. If we were to work together

Like that, I'll bet we'd have the whole

city under control.

AMANI

No. Things won't be that simple.

Arvess appears.

ARVESS

You were quite impressive. But

more than that, you're mysterious.

JOY

Yes. You were trying to kill

Arvess earlier but now you

don't even seem to care that

he's around.

AMANI

I only wanted to prevent him from

making a contact with Hope DelSoro.

Having failed that, there's no point

in trying to kill him anymore.

ARVESS

But more so, you appear to be

a full puella yet there is no

point on the timeline where a

wish could have been granted

to you. I don't know what the

wishes are but I do know where

and when I grant them, but I never

even met with you.

JOY

What? That's not possible. Could

someone else have done it? One of

your friends?

AMANI

I'm right here, you know.

ARVESS

I could ask, but it seems unlikely.

It's my job to grant the wishes of

young girls. There are no previous

ley lines which lead her to a wish

nexus. Her powers just seem to

Have appeared. She shouldn't exist.

AMANI

E pur si muove.

ARVESS

The only more mysterious person

I've encountered recently is

Hope DelSoro.

JOY

Hope? What about her?

ARVESS

Her resonance is the highest I've

ever seen.

JOY

What does that mean?

ARVESS

It means that when she makes the

contract, she'll become the most

powerful puella that ever was.

AMANI

If she makes the contract, you mean.

ARVESS

Well, in any case, seeing you

two work together made me certain

that the witches should be no problem

at the moment. Plus with two

potentials the people of this city will

be quite safe.

JOY

Right. So with that in mind, Amani, how

about we-

Joy looks back to find Amani only to see that she has vanished.

ACT 2

School. Joy is shown silently doing her school work alone at a table in the library as somber piano music plays. School bell. Establishing shot of the full cafeteria. Joy is seen eating lunch in an empty corridor. Crack of a softball bat and kids are playing softball at gym class. Joy lays on her back on the school roof, looking intently at her soul gem ring. The bell rings and school is let out. Joy walks home alone. Solitary at her apartment Joy examines a picture on the coffee table of herself with her parents and gets lost in reminiscence. Her phone rings and she is jarred out of her focus. She answers.

JOY

Yes?

HOPE (V.O)

Hi, Joy it's me.

JOY

Oh, hello Hope.

HOPE (V.O)

Are you doing anything tonight?

JOY

Well it's a school night so no.

HOPE (V.O)

It's Friday, Joy. You should do

something.

JOY

Hope, you need to understand

That I have obligations to stand

Ready.

HOPE

And you can! But even Puella

Need to have fun sometimes.

JOY

I…I have lots of fun.

HOPE

Yes. Exactly what I mean. So

come and Hang out with me.

JOY

Well what are your plans?

HOPE (V.O)

It's Karaoke night at the rec center.

JOY

Well, I guess I could, but-

HOPE (V.O)

Great! I'll be there. Don't

Stand me up.

Hope hangs up as Joy looks once more at the photograph, then with a smile, shakes her head and stands to go.

Police station. Hastor's office. Hastor and Lemon watch security footage from the base robbery.

LEMON

Look! She's over there now.

HASTOR

How?

LEMON

She must have gone behind that building

HASTOR

What? At the world land speed record?

A knock at the door. Two agents stand there.

HASTOR

Can I help you?

Lemon closes the video and leaves the room, under watchful glares from the two agents.

DIXON

Are you detective Hastor?

HASTOR

Yes.

DIXON

You're handling the freedom hawks

Militia robbery?

HASTOR

That's me.

DIXON

I'm agent Dixon, Homeland security

DEWITT

DeWitt, NSA.

HASTOR

Oh, I thought you guys were the ATF.

Don't have any coffee here for you

but if you want to sit down.

DIXON

No. This won't take long.

DEWITT

The freedom Hawks militia robbery

is now a matter of national security.

We'll be taking over your case.

HASTOR

Wait, what? It's a bunch of idiot

gun nuts running around playing GI Joe

in the woods.

DIXON

We will not be discussing this case

with anyone who does not have clearance.

HASTOR

What? It's classified?

DEWITT

Do you have the case file on hand?

Hastor taps her lap top.

HASTOR

It's all in here.

DEWITT folds up, unplugs and takes the laptop.

HASTOR

HEY! HEY!

DIXON

Again, National security. These

are the only copies?

HASTOR

That won't do you any good, it's

all password protected.

DEWITT

The NSA doesn't worry about

passwords.

HASTOR

You can't just come in here and

take my-

DIXON

American lives are now at risk. We

can do whatever we need to do. If

You wait here, we'll probably have

this back to you in an hour. Just

take a long lunch in the meantime.

The agents walk out the door. Lemon reenters.

HASTOR

Sons of bitches. I can't even play

solitaire now.

LEMON

Do you think they'll find the video

footage?

HASTOR

No. I made sure to run it off your

machine in the network, but I don't

think we should exploit your security

clearance anymore.

LEMON

So that's it, you're off the case?

HASTOR

Officially, yes, but I'm not done yet.

LEMON

That was DHS and NSA that just came

in here.

HASTOR

Yeah, but give them a footprint they'll

send it off to a lab, and take three

weeks acid testing for a trace rubber

sample without ever figuring out what

size shoes they are. I don't care what

those federal apes want to do. I'm a

detective. I am on the case, whether

they know it or not. Just like I said.

Do some detective work. Black female

five foot four. You hear anything,

just come to me.

LEMON

You are talking about hiding an

investigation from the country's top

intelligence agencies.

HASTOR

They want to find their bomb, I know.

LEMON

And even that, there's 11 tons of

TNT lost out there somewhere. Are

you really willing to gamble on being

the one who finds it before time runs

out?

HASTOR

Lemon, I'm the best this case could ask

for. No matter what letters are on my

badge I can get this done cleaner than

they could hope.

LEMON

That bomb could kill hundreds of people

and we've got nothing to go on as of

now, in a case out of our Jurisdiction.

HASTOR

Black female. Five foot four. I'm

Going to close this case.

Lemon tentatively nods before leaving. Hastor leans back, closes her eyes and takes a deep breath.

Rec center, social rejects, poor kids, goths, punks and misfits sit around as Hope finishes up the last verse of to the moon's 'Shut up and dance with me.' An MC takes the mic.

MC

That was Hope, performing 'To the moon.'

there. Put your hands together for her.

Feeble applause as Hope takes a bow and jumps off the platform

MC

Next up we have Amity, and she's going

to be giving us some Ariana Grande.

Amity goes on stage as Hope takes her seat again next to Joy.

JOY

Do you two always go to this?

HOPE

Well, normally Prudence is with us

but she wanted to visit Will again.

Not many people sing because like

the punk and goth kids who usually

hang out here on the weekdays get

their space invaded, they're surly

but they always listen. I think

they want to sing too, but don't

want to do it in front of their

friends. I talk to them after when

Karaoke is finished.

JOY

You really like people don't you?

HOPE

What's not to like? Everyone has

something special about them.

JOY

Well, alright but are you willing to

protect them?

HOPE

Huh?

JOY

I used to think that just liking

people and just being with them was

enough. Now I know the truth. It's

never that easy. If you like something

you have to go out of your way to protect

it.

HOPE

What? I don't get it.

JOY

Well, Hope...I won't get into it, but

just before I made my wish I thought

I had everything I needed. I thought

everything was OK, and everything would

go on being alright with nothing to

worry about. Then something happened

and I lost it all because there was no

one there to protect me or the ones I

cared about.

HOPE

What happened?

Joy pauses for a moment but does not resolve to tell Hope the whole story.

JOY

When you are all done fighting a witch,

when you have to use a grief seed, when

you're all alone in your room all you

have is the certainty that you are

protecting someone, somewhere who needs

you, even if they don't know it. What

then?

HOPE

But I'm not alone. I have Prudence and

Amity and other friends, and I'm always

meeting new people. Even if I make a wish

and become puella nothing will change that

right?

JOY

What are you protecting with your life

right now?

HOPE

Nothing.

JOY

That's going to change. Look around you.

They didn't clap after you sang. They

probably forgot your name right after the

guy up there said it. Are these people

who don't know you really worth protecting?

HOPE

Are they to you?

JOY

Yes. I know what it means to lose it all.

I'll never let that happen to the innocent

that's the meaning I've found beyond my

wish. Before you make yours you had better

find that reason beyond for yourself. OK?

HOPE

And then what?

JOY

Then you make a wish, and it will come true.

HOPE

OK.

JOY

Really?

HOPE

Yeah.

Joy smiles at having really connected.

HOPE

One question.

JOY

Yeah?

HOPE  
That grief seed from last night

Was it at fifth and green?

Joy gets surprised for a moment.

JOY

Yeah. It was. How did you

Know?

HOPE

I don't know. I had a feeling

And I guessed.

JOY

That's it?

HOPE

That's it.

JOY

Make sure you tell Amani that.

HOPE

Sure. Are you going to sing one?

JOY

No. I'm tone deaf.

HOPE

Just one song. Please.

JOY

Hope, I won't sing.

HOPE

Aw. Why'd you come out?

JOY

Well you invited me.

HOPE

Well then what do you normally do

on nights out?

Joy shrugs and smirks.

JOY

Usually I just practice.

HOPE

What do you mean, practice?

Joy smiles and she glances side to side as though she's about to reveal a secret.

JOY

Let's go find some empty

bottles.

Vacant lot, Joy's Soul Gem is brightly lit as a car's headlight and on the ground in a lamp shade pointed out to Hope who is a few yards away and has three recycling bins full of glass beer bottles.

JOY

Pull!

Hope tosses the bottle into the air and Joy quickly draws a pewter musket which shoots the bottle and shatters it not just into shards but into fine dust that sparkles and glitters in the distant light like fireworks.

HOPE

Good one!

JOY

Again. Throw higher this time.

Hope tosses overhand and Joy shoots it quickly.

JOY

No. Underhand. Here I'll show you.

Joy walks over and puts a bottle into Hope's hand and shows her the type of underhanded lob she wants.

JOY

You have it gripped by the neck, right

HOPE

Yeah.

Joy takes Hopes hand with her other hand on Hope's waist standing behind her, holding her hand to show exactly how the throw should be. Hope feels slightly flustered by Joy's closeness.

JOY

OK. You can picture your arm swinging

Like this, right? Like softball. So

Swing up and toss it high.

HOPE

Yeah. Easy.

JOY

Is this OK?

HOPE

The throw?

JOY

No. I mean. Is it OK?

HOPE  
I guess. I-What do you mean?

JOY

Yeah, the throw. Just like that.

Joy backs off a bit.

HOPE

Sure.

JOY

Good. You're set, then.

HOPE

What's the matter, Joy?

JOY

Do you know about yourself, Hope?

HOPE

Know about myself?

JOY

Arvess told me you have a very high

Resonance.

HOPE

What does that mean?

JOY

It means you have high potential.

You can detect grief seeds already.

I don't know how you're doing it but

It goes to show you're gifted for

this.

HOPE

I don't understand. So what?

JOY

When you make your wish, you'll be

More powerful than I am now. You

don't need me. You can do it all on

Your own.

HOPE

Does this mean you don't want to

Be a team?

Joy comes around, placing her hand on Hope's.

JOY

No. No. I'm just saying don't

Worry about it. You have what

You need already. We don't have

to be scared.

HOPE

I'm not scared.

JOY

Right. You'll be fine.

HOPE

So you want a high throw this

Time, right?

JOY

Yeah. Underhand lob. High as

You can.

HOPE

Fifty feet. I've got potential.

JOY

Just throw it, show off. Pull!

Joy gets back in position as hope tosses the bottle and Joy shoots it out at its apex.

HOPE  
Nice!

JOY

OK. Trick shot. Throw the bottle

so the open end points at me. I'll

shoot inside it, bounce it and break

it with the second shot.

HOPE

You can't be that good.

JOY

Pull!

HOPE

You really think so?

JOY

PULL!

Hope tosses the bottle up as instructed, and just as she said Joy Shoots the shot into the bottle. The shot bursts inside which bounces the bottle into the air, sending it off rapidly. She pulls a second musket and finishes the bottle off midair.

HOPE

No way! Amazing.

JOY

You get good at predicting

Exactly how things are going

To move.

HOPE

OK, then. So how about three

At once?

JOY

Easy.

Hope gets three bottles into her hands.

Joy (CTD)

Pull!

Hope tosses the bottles into the air.

Vignette shots of Hope, Joy, the soul gem and the bottles frozen in air.

The bottles all burst midair simultaneously into jagged shards as the booming sound of a loud gunshot rings out that contrasts sharply with the magical bursting sound from Joy's muskets. The shards shatter on the ground.

HOPE

Wow. I didn't even see you shoot

them that time!

JOY

Because I didn't.

Joy turns behind her to where Amani stands with an M1 rifle she's in a t-shirt. Public enemy maybe.

JOY

Fancy meeting you here. Love the

shirt.

Hope runs over.

HOPE

Hi, Amani. Did you come for target

practice?

AMANI

Why is she here?

JOY

No reason.

HOPE

Hey, Amani. That witch you hunted

Last night?

AMANI

What about it?

HOPE

Was it near fifth and Green?

Amani is surprised a moment.

AMANI

Did she talk about it?

HOPE

No, I just kind of figured it out.

AMANI

Just figured?

HOPE

I just had a feeling that it would

be there. I asked Joy and she said

I was right.

Amani swallows slightly and tries to play this off as nothing.

JOY

That's what Arvess was talking about

wasn't it?

Shot of Arvess' face

ARVESS

Of course. Her resonance allows her

to do things even puella can't do

despite the fact she hasn't made a

wish yet.

AMANI

You always interject at the worst time

don't you?

ARVESS

I'm here to grant wishes. You have

to be ready at any time.

JOY

Hope, you need to know more than just

A part of the truth.

AMANI

Don't.

JOY

Don't ever say 'don't' to me.

HOPE

Hey, Easy. Easy. Amani, I'm sure

just learning more about being

puella won't hurt, right? Let me

hear it out. OK? What is it, Joy?

JOY

Tell her about her resonance, Arvess.

ARVESS

The potential of your resonance?

High doesn't begin to describe it.

JOY

When you make your wish you are

going to become the most powerful

puella magi ever.

HOPE

What?

ARVESS

It's true. Your resonance allows

you to tap more energy than should

be possible. You could call it

geometric.

HOPE  
There must be some mix up.

I'm really not that special.

AMANI

That's not true.

JOY

And that's why you want to stop

her isn't it Amani? Why you

constantly terrorize her.

AMANI

OK, Joy, we need to talk.

Amani leads her away. Shot of the night sky. Joy and Amani walk a distance then stop to face each other.

JOY

So what did you wish for?

AMANI

Something other than saving my own skin.

JOY

Did you come to finally have it

out with me or would you like to

help me?

AMANI

I didn't come here to make enemies

or to team up. I came here to warn you.

A great trial is approaching us.

Before it can do any damage I

have to make sure that Hope

DelSoro does not make the contract.

JOY

Why? Are you so concerned about

losing your edge to someone better

than you?

AMANI

This is bigger than what you can

understand, Joy.

JOY

What I understand is that we fight

witches. We have two potentials on

deck, one with more ability than any

puella ever and if you weren't being

obstinate-

AMANI

Teamwork? Like you and Charity?

Joy cannot hide her outrage at hearing this comment.

ARVESS

That's all in the past now, isn't it,

Amani? Joy is being very hospitable

with her offer.

AMANI

It's not an offer, it's a plea.

She may have the strong skills but

her heart is the weakest of any

puella. You're begging me not to

abandon you because that's your

nature, Joy. You'll drag anyone

down with you just so you can tell

yourself you're not alone.

JOY

You don't know anything about me.

AMANI

I made my wish, you made yours

and they aren't the same. No matter

how you look at it we are going to

fight for different reasons.

JOY

This is your last chance.

AMANI

All I want you to do is keep Hope

DelSoro out of this for the next

three weeks. No matter what.

JOY

What happens in three weeks?

AMANI

The unthinkable. We'll be fighting

side by side, just like you asked

and if we're lucky we get to die

together. Does that sound like fun?

JOY

I think you're right, Amani. We are

going to fight for different reasons.

Do what you want, but don't cross

paths with me again. It will not

end well.

Amani sneers, then brushes her hair aside to turn away. Joy stands bitterly in the night.

JOY (CTD)

Hope! Come here please.

Hope walks over.

HOPE

What is it, Joy?

JOY

We can't do this anymore.

HOPE

Huh? What? Why?

JOY

What do you know about being a

Puella?

HOPE

Uh, I know that you fight

Witches and protect people and

You have to use grief seeds.

JOY

That's not what being a Puella

Is about. That's just what a

Puella does. The only way you

Can understand what it's like

is to make a wish.

HOPE

Well, maybe but even so-

JOY

No, Hope. I could talk to you

Forever and you wouldn't know

A thing about it. We're not

going any further together.

HOPE

But Joy, you don't have to-

JOY

I am Puella Magi. That's all I am.

It's my duty to protect you. Even if

you did make a wish you wouldn't need

me anymore. I'm-I'm saying goodbye,

Hope. It was stupid of me to come

here.

Joy leaves, trying to keep her composure.

HOPE

Joy! Wait. Don't leave like this.

Come back. Joy!

Joy's silhouette slips into the darkness.

Act three.

Hope and Prudence sit in the park.

PRUDENCE  
So she just left?

HOPE

Yeah. I could tell she didn't

want to.

PRUDENCE

Well, when you think about it

It does make sense. It's a

Different world she lives in.

Having all those magical powers

This whole city must feel like

Living in a giant doll house.

HOPE

And she didn't even sing at

Karaoke!

PRUDENCE

That's what you're worried about?

HOPE

She has a great singing voice

I can tell.

PRUDENCE

All I'm saying is think about it,

She has a point. We don't know

Anything about how she feels.

HOPE

Did you come up with a wish yet?

PRUDENCE

Did you see what it was like to

Use a grief seed? I wouldn't

Do that to myself for a million

Dollars.

HOPE

Yeah, I guess you're right.

PRUDENCE

Look at it this way, you can

Magically be granted your dreams

By Arvess you'd get what you want

But wouldn't it bother you? Because

Then you'd always know someone

Else gave it to you. If you

Work real hard, make your dreams

Come true, then you'd be able to

Feel good about doing it for yourself.

That's the best way to make your

Wishes come true.

There is a resonant hum that Hope senses.

HOPE

So do you think Joy was wrong in

Making her wish?

PRUDENCE

I don't know what she wished for.

HOPE

Yeah. Me neither.

PRUDENCE

So I guess we don't make that call.

Images of the hospital appear in her mind. Hope stands up.

HOPE  
The hospital.

PRUDENCE

Oh, Will? He's getting quiet.

It's not really like him. He never

Had much to say, but he always spoke-

HOPE (Urgently)  
No. We have to go to the hospital.

We have to go right now.

She takes off and Prudence sprints to catch up. The girls run through the streets. Prudence keeps pace right behind Hope.

PRUDENCE

Are you absolutely sure, Hope?

HOPE

Well, I'd love to be wrong about this.

The girls make it to the entrance of the hospital out of breath.

PRUDENCE.

So where is it?

HOPE

We're very close.

Hope walks to a pillar on the side of the structure. She gets around the opposite side of it.

PRUDENCE

Hope?

HOPE

Yeah. It's here.

PRUDENCE

No.

The image pans to reveal a grief seed shadow stuck in the pillar.

PRUDENCE

What do we do?

HOPE

There's nothing we can do.

PRUDENCE

Then we have to get Joy.

HOPE

OK, let's go.

PRUDENCE

No. I'm staying here.

HOPE

Prudence?

PRUDENCE

Will is in this hospital.

If a witch wants to take him

It will have to go through me first.

HOPE

But you can't-

PRUDENCE

Go to Joy.

HOPE

Prudence-

PRUDENCE

Run! Now!

Hope nods timidly then turns and runs full out for Joy's apartment.

Prudence stands guard as the Seed hums and releases waves of negative energy.

Joy's apartment. Joy sits reading a copy of being and nothingness.

The door suddenly unlatches and Hope bursts in. Joy at first reacts coldly to her, but seeing distress in her eyes she drops the book, to follow Hope as she runs back.

Hospital

Prudence Watches as waves of shadow emanate from the seed.

HOPE (VO)

Prudence, are you there?

PRUDENCE (VO)

Yeah? Where are you?

Joy and Hope running through the streets.

HOPE (VO)

I've got Joy, we've sent Arvess ahead

To meet you. It won't be long.

PRUDENCE (VO)

Joy can you hear me?

JOY (VO)  
Yes. What is it?

PRUDENCE (VO)

The seed. There are shadows coming

Off of it.

ARVESS

Get away from it!

Prudence looks up to see the angel land on her shoulder

PRUDENCE

Arvess! What's it doing?

ARVESS

The seed is reacting to you it may-

A shadow rolls over Prudence and Arvess and they vanish into darkness, so only the seed remains.

Joy and Hope arrive on the scene.

HOPE

Where's Prudence and Arvess?

JOY

They're inside. You wait here.

I'll get them out.

HOPE

No. I'm coming with you.

JOY

This isn't the time-

HOPE

Joy, there's no way I'm leaving

Here without Prudence. So you can

Take me with you or go in alone and

Let this seed gobble me up.

JOY

You don't belong here!

HOPE

You can't say that to me!

Joy and Hope square off for a moment, but finally Joy nods.

JOY

Just like last time, stay close.

HOPE

Let's go.

The girls dive into the seed, and are in a hallway made of cookies and gingerbread.

HOPE (VO)

Prudence?

PRUDENCE (VO)

Bad news, I'm in something like a big

Stadium or theatre the grief seed shadow

is Floating in the middle of it

JOY

She's in the nest. We have to act now.

Joy spreads a circle of magical flower sigils around the hallway.

HOPE

What's that for?

JOY

Protection. You'll see. But

Before we go, Amani, how long

Have you been here?

Amani walks down the hall.

AMANI

A bit now. I was here first

so I was inside and couldn't

stop the Idiot from falling in.

JOY

The situation is secure. I'm

Going ahead.

AMANI

Like I said, I was here first.

I'll be taking out this prey

The two of you head back.

JOY

I'm the one fighting this witch

And I'm not interested in debating

You right now.

Amani steps forward, unwittingly into the ring of flower sigils

AMANI

Joy, listen. You don't know-

JOY

What did I say about that word!?

The sigils unfurl into chain-imprinted ribbons which ensnare and capture Amani.

HOPE

Joy, wait.

JOY

Not now, Hope. We have to get

Moving. I'm not going to hurt

Her.

AMANI

Joy, please stop. This witch

Has a molting ability, you

Have to-AAAH!

JOY

Watch out for those restraints,

Amani. They tighten if you

struggle.

AMANI

Please, Joy, listen – aah.

JOY

Let's go, Hope.

Joy departs.

HOPE

We'll be right back, Amani.

I'm sure this will work out.

Hope departs

AMANI

No! Hope! Stop!

Deeper in the Labyrinth. Strange Familiars float about and go about what appear to be chores. Hope and Joy make their way further in.

HOPE

It's long and it's dark and

There isn't anyone here.

JOY

Don't get your nerves on end.

HOPE

Aren't you scared?

JOY

There's no need for me to

Be scared anymore.

HOPE

What do you mean?

JOY

There is nothing left to lose.

HOPE

Well…You can't mean that.

JOY

Even if I don't mean it, I have

To keep it in mind to go on.

HOPE

Joy, when you-

JOY

Hope, I have to concentrate, so

please.

HOPE

I'm sorry.

JOY

You don't have to be sorry

You have to be quiet.

The two venture further in and come across a nest of familiars who look at them with simultaneous gaze and all involve freeze for a moment before the familiars scatter and scurry out, even over the girls feet. Hope takes Joy's hand as the creatures depart from the room. With the familiars gone the two proceed in, still holding hands and Joy begins to silently sing to herself a Blondie song.

JOY

One way or another, I'm gonna

Find you. I'm gonna get ya,

Get ya, get ya get ya. One

Way or another. I'm gonna find you

I'll get you. I'll get you. And

when the lights are all down I'll

see who's around.

The girls find an empty alcove.

JOY (CTD)

It's clear here. Let's rest.

HOPE

OK, sounds good.

JOY

How are you holding up?

HOPE

I'm not the one who was singing.

Joy laughs off nervously, and earns a smidge of relief.

JOY

I did, didn't I? That's my mom in

Me. Was it blondie?

HOPE

I don't know.

JOY

Usually Blondie or Madonna.

Lucky star. Mom loved records.

HOPE

Where are your parents?

JOY

They're not here anymore.

They died. The same day I became

A puella.

HOPE

Oh.

JOY

I wished to save myself as my

Parents died. When I started

I told myself if a girl with my

powers had been there, she would

have Saved them. But that's not

true. Puella fight witches, that's

All they do. There are other

things people have to be saved from

but we can't help. I can't stop

every car crash. So this is all

I have.

HOPE

Joy, what you're doing is the right

thing. Your parents would be

proud.

JOY

I'm done reminiscing. Let's

Move.

They proceed further down the labyrinth passing familiars who pay them no mind. Joy leads and does not show Hope her face.

HOPE

I was thinking about what you

Said before.

JOY

Oh?

HOPE

About needing to find something

To protect.

JOY

Did you find it?

HOPE

I don't know yet.

JOY

Well don't stress it. You need

A wish first. Without that

you're fine as you are.

HOPE

Joy, if you were to sum up being

A puella in one word what would

It be?

JOY

Well…Let me think on that.

HOPE

You don't have to answer right

Now but-

JOY

Sadness.

HOPE

What?

JOY

I wouldn't wish this on anyone.

You're all alone, and terrified

All the time for the next witch

You have to fight, always wondering

How it can possibly ever end. No

one stands along with you. Everyone

who should help you leaves you

behind. It's nothing But sadness

being puella magi.

HOPE

Really?

JOY

If I were to tell you anything

It would be to never make a wish.

HOPE

But Joy, That's what needs protecting.

JOY

What do you mean?

HOPE

You asked me if there was something

That I needed to protect. What about

Someone everyone else relies on, but

Is alone in the world? I don't want

that for you.

JOY

So you wish to help me?

HOPE

I still don't know what I wish for

But what I want to do is be with you.

Stay by your side and help you fight.

JOY

I've heard talk like that before.

Comradery, partnership, trust,

It ended in nothing, and I was

On my own all over again.

Joy turns to show her eyes have welled up with tears. She takes Hope's hands again.

JOY (CTD)

But you mean it, don't you?

Joy takes Hope's hands. Blind Melon's 'I wonder' begins to play starting with the acoustic introduction. "All along the broadening skies…"

JOY (CTD)

Do you really want to stay with me

Through the worst of fate?

HOPE

You said I have more potential as

A puella than anyone. I want to

Meet my potential and help you.

You don't have to walk this dark

corridor all alone.

JOY (Wiping her tears)

Some leader I am. Who can't even

Compose herself. But still, you

Have to make a wish.

HOPE

But I don't know what I want.

JOY

You can have anything. Wish

For the moon.

HOPE

I don't need the moon. How can

I have the moon? What does that

Even mean?

JOY

Well, I don't know. It's something

None of us have. But then we all

look up into the night and we all

have it at once.

HOPE

You're so weird.

JOY

Yeah. I am.

ARVESS(VO)

Joy! Hope!

JOY

What is it Arvess?

The stadium Prudence is growing fearful and Arvess looks on warily something is happening to the Grief seed.

ARVESS

We're out of time. The seed is

Hatching. You need to get here

Right now.

JOY (VO)

We're on our way.

Hope puts her hand on Joy's shoulder. The intro of the song ends and faintly Shannon Hoon's 'let's get out of here.' Whispers are heard.

HOPE

Let's do this. We're a team now.

JOY

Right.

The song proper begins and Joy transforms into her full magical girl form. As if aware of her presence familiars appear all over the place, and Joy protects Hope in a barrier, then unleashes a fury of muskets and bats them away and blasts them with ease. She wraps her tether around one and swats several others away with it.

JOY (VO)

My body feels light.

She drops into a room of familiars, not ready for her who cower in her presence. With an outstretched arm she has six muskets stand at the ready, while a string of them appear in a chain formation. The central six begin to spin around, and begin to fire in rapid succession, flying off once fired and replaced by the next in the string. It acts as a minigun, tearing through the lineup of familiars. She slays a legion of them.

JOY (VO-CTD)

I'm not afraid of anything anymore.

Heroically, Joy opens the path and takes Hope by the hand. And the two run to the final destination through doors that seem to throw themselves open for them.

JOY (VO-CTD)

Because now I know I'm not alone.

The pair arrive at where Prudence and Arvess have forted up.

PRUDENCE  
Hey! You guys made it!

JOY

How are things here?

ARVESS

No time. Here she comes right now.

The grief seed morphs into a Russian doll who sheds her shells, each going in a different direction in the amphitheater. Gingerbread men and candies appear in the bowls of the doll husks, that now coat the surrounding area, which opens itself, into a twin bowled arena, with platforms beyond, and when they finally open one last time, within is a tiny doll. Runes appear on screen reading "Charlotte." Joy bats the doll away with the butt of one of her rifles.

JOY

Sorry, but this is where it ends

For you.

She stands above the fallen doll, putting a musket to her head. Then she fires and from the bullet hole emerges ribbons which wrap around the doll and hoist it high in the air. Joy takes aim.

JOY

Tiro finale!

Joy fires the blast and no sooner is the shot released as the teacup appears in her hand, and she takes it to her lips to drink in victory. The two girls on the side smile and rejoice in her victory, and the shot peels through the witch. Who is ripped in half. But the top half opens its mouth and bears its teeth which shed as a long snakelike form. The serpentine witch quickly rushes down at Joy, who only has enough time to drop her teacup in surprise and horror as the jaws open to consume her. The song does not stop.

Amani, restrained in the labyrinth is dropped from her restraints which turn into a bloody, fleshy, gory gel.

AMANI

Oh no.

Against a vingnetted shot of the hallway, Amani runs to where the pair had gone.

The amphitheatre. Joy's headless, lifeless body falls from the mouth of the witch and crashes onto the ground. The serpentine witch consumes the corpse, as Hope and Prudence look on with horror.

ARVESS

You have to make a wish.

Both of you. Make a contract

With me. This witch will kill

You next if you don't.

Frozen in terror the girls cannot react in time. Arvess looks directly at Hope. The witch looks up at Hope.

ARVESS (CTD)

Make a wish. Right now.

HOPE

I…I…

AMANI

There's no need for that.

Amani arrives just as the lyrics "I don't remember who I was before" come up the witch. She opens fire and the witch quickly singles Amani out and dives down to eat her whole. It appears that she does so, but from above comes gunfire from a scorpion SMG and the witch re-assesses and flies at her, mouth open as before to consume her. Again this appears to work and again Amani appears elsewhere to fire small arms at the witch this happens five times before the snake like witch bats her away with her tail. The witch closes in for the kill.

HOPE

Amani! Run!

Amani comes up with the same remote detonator which she used previously, hits the button and explosions rock the insides of the witch. New iterations of itself emerge from the dead shells of the last, until the final version emerges and rushes at Amani who has already taken aim with a shoulder-mounted RPG.

The shot fires into the last form of the witch. Blood sprays across Amani's outfit and upon the broken remains of a shattered tea cup and saucer. The blood and tea mix with one another as the Labyrinth fades. The three girls are now in the Hospital lawn where they began and in the setting sun the grief seed descends at Amani's feet and she picks it up.

I only wanted to be 16 and free, yeah.

PRUDENCE

Give it back!

Amani turns to the girls, Prudence indignant and Hope collapsed in shock and grief.

PRUDENCE (CTD)

That belongs to Joy.

Give it back to her.

Out of respect at least.

AMANI

Believe me when I tell you.

You don't ever want to touch

One of these things.

Amani turns and departs as Prudence comforts the weeping Hope. Back to Joy's now empty apartment. There are shots of the room just as she left it and the sunlight sets on a picture of her with her mom and dad as the last bar of 'I wonder' draws to a close.

Credits.


	4. Prudence

Chenalos presents

A 14 rivers play for the screen

Based upon Puella Magi Madoka Magica

The Magic of Hope

Episode 3: Prudence

Chenalos at Yahoo  


at ChenalosFiction twitter

Prudence sits across from Joy at a table in a sunlit garden. Both are wearing beautiful sundresses, sipping their tea and smiling. Ominously the sun sets and when Prudence looks again the trees and flowers of the garden have all wilted and become as they would in autumn. Prudence looks at Joy, who now has blank eyes. Joy looks down into her teacup and opens her mouth. Blood pours out of her mouth into the cup. Once the blood flow is done Joy's head flies off to the right. Prudence jumps back in her seat as Joy's body is torn in two and thrown into the darkness and the empty black shadow of a witch with a crooked smile has taken her place. The witch drinks from the bloody teacup. Prudence calms herself and slowly reaches for a butter knife on the table. The witch pours the bloody tea across her hand and the table and knife before setting the cup down and smiling all the more broadly. Incensed Prudence grabs the knife, and plunges it into the chest of the witch.

Morning. Prudence's room. She lies, shocked awake, her arm projecting upward in exactly the thrusting motion she used in her nightmare.

TITLE

PRUDENCE

End of cold open. Run intro

ACT 1

Hope sits in her room, holding her pillow tight looking at the rising morning sun, a look of fear and regret in her eyes.

Breakfast. Hope pokes at her eggs as her parents and kid brother go about their normal morning.

TEDDY (Stabbing a tomato)

Grawwwwwl!

RACHEL

What are you doing to your food there, Ted?

TEDDY

Dinosaur claws.

RACHEL

Well you be a tough dinosaur and eat

those veggies.

TEDDY

Destroy!

JAKE

Hey, Teddy, want to go to the park

later today?

TEDDY

Yeah! Yeah! Then the docks.

RACHEL

The docks? Why there?

JAKE

He loves boats.

RACHEL

Really? When did you get to like

ships, Teddy?

TEDDY

They have big sails and you can

find treasure.

JAKE

I let him watch Pirates of the

Caribbean two days ago.

RACHEL

Oh, Jake, there's ghosts and

undead pirates in that, it'll

give him nightmares.

JAKE

Now, I was with him all along and

he never even closed his eyes. It

wasn't scary at all.

TEDDY

I want to swing from the big trees.

JAKE

They're called masts, son.

TEDDY

Masts! I'll fight pirates!

RACHEL

Well, alright, Teddy, so long as

you don't have bad dreams.

TEDDY

I wasn't scared!

Hope suddenly begins to cry.

JAKE

Rachel, I'm pretty sure he

Can handle a ghost story and

Even so, he liked the boats

More than anything. It's

Harmless.

RACHEL

Well, OK but next time

There's something scarier than

PG you let me know.

JAKE  
Hope?

RACHEL

Whoa.

JAKE

Hope, are you OK?

HOPE

I'm sorry.

JAKE

Is it bad, did you burn your tongue?

HOPE

No. It's delicious. Everything is

just so wonderful. I never realized

it before. I'm so sorry.

Rachel approaches.

RACHEL

You don't have to apologize.

Hope dries her eyes, grabs her bag and makes for the door.

School. Hope and Prudence sit next to each other, their minds jarred and elsewhere.

HISTORY TEACHER

Witchcraft in the middle ages was

indeed practiced as a widespread

taboo. The potions contained herbal

salves with natural astringents and

psychotropic drugs. One example,

Belladonna or deadly nightshade could

be diluted to-

Hope raises her hand.

HOPE

I forgot my book. Can I share with

Prudence?

HISTORY TEACHER

I suppose.

Hope slides her desk over, on the edge of tears. Prudence places her book on her desk upright as a cover, puts her hand on Hope's shoulder as she hides in the book to regain her composure.

HISTORY TEACHER

As I was saying the effects of

witchcraft were mostly ceremonial

combined with folk cures and

medicine. This provided peace of

mind especially during outbreaks of

the plague. The reaction of the

Catholic Church-

Cafeteria. Lunch. Prudence eats leftover Pizza. Hope approaches.

HOPE

Thanks for earlier.

PRUDENCE

It helped me out too.

Hope sits down.

HOPE

Pizza?

PRUDENCE

Leftovers.

HOPE

Everything feels…

PRUDENCE

What?

HOPE

I don't know.

PRUDENCE  
She was right.

HOPE

Joy?

PRUDENCE  
All I can think about is the

tomato fontina torte.

School bell, class lets out and while the other students go home Hope and Prudence remain on a bench outside the school.

HOPE  
Everything feels different. Like

I'm only visiting this place.

The real world is going on underneath

all of this. People like Joy are

dying.

Arvess appears.

ARVESS

People die every day all over the

world all the time. Nothing has really

changed in that regard.

PRUDENCE

Arvess. What are you doing here?

ARVESS

I was going to ask you to make a

wish.

PRUDENCE

Now is not the time, Arvess. Joy's

dead.

ARVESS

That's why it's the perfect time.

There are no Puella protecting this

town right now other than Amani and

she has an ulterior motive besides

killing witches. They don't stop

appearing just because a Puella has

her soul gem broken, you know.

PRUDENCE  
To hell with the witches, and you!

HOPE

Wait Prudence. Now, Arvess, do

Puella Magi always die like she did?

ARVESS

Many go on surviving their battles

but the risk of what you call death

is what you take on if you become a

Puella magi.

PRUDENCE

Yeah? You want me to die in some

otherworldly hole? Shove it.

ARVESS

We are only offering to complete the

things you can't complete yourself.

For that you must place yourself at

risk. When you make the contract your

battles are not in vain, you get what

you want and you protect the humans.

There are many of your kind who choose

to wager their lives though their wishes

are never granted. How can you claim to

be better than that?

PRUDENCE  
I've heard enough.

Prudence gets up and leaves.

HOPE

I don't think I'll be making the wish

Either, Arvess. You're better off

looking elsewhere.

ARVESS

Very well, but you still have this

potential within you, and your

ley line will not close for another

year at least. You can make a wish

and form a contract with me whenever

you want in that time.

ARVESS floats away as Hope leans back to look into the sky.

Street. A green sports car zips around a corner then suddenly slows down. The car tries to correct it's direction several times before finally straightening out and accelerates awkwardly. The car approaches a curb where it tries three times to stop (Behind, ahead, then reverses to be beside) next to two cute girls. The window rolls down and Ziggy is inside, listening to Dream Theater or Porcupine Tree or something just as edgy and prog.

ZIGGY

Hey, ladies. Want to ride?

GIRL 1

I don't know. You have your learners

permit, right?

ZIGGY

Yeah. No. I mean no. I have a

license.

GIRL 2

Yeah, I'll go for a ride. Give me the

keys. You wait here and we'll come back

in an hour to give you your dad's car

back?

ZIGGY

This is my car.

GIRL 1

Oh?

ZIGGY

Well it was a gift.

GIRL 2

Is it fast?

ZIGGY

Hell yeah, it's fast.

GIRL 1

Oh, cool.

GIRL 2

Yeah, I like to drive fast.

ZIGGY

Well hop in, let's go.

GIRL 1

Tell you what, You know that traffic

light down by Main and Maple?

ZIGGY

Yeah.

GIRL 1

Let's see how fast you can drive there

and back again.

GIRL 2

Yeah. We'll stay here to time you.

ZIGGY

OK, you're on.

GIRL 1

Just a second, let me get my stop

watch on my phone. (To girl 2) do

I have this set right?

Girl two leans in and the phone is on camera mode. The girls take a selfie together.

GIRL 2

Yeah it's ready to go.

GIRL 1

OK, car guy. On your mark.

Ziggy grins confidently as he revs the engine in park.

GIRL 1 (CTD)

Get set.

The tenacity and confidence lights up in Ziggy's eyes.

GIRL 1 (CTD)

Go.

Ziggy takes off trying to level the accelerator as he does.

GIRL 1 (CTD)

Oh, God. What a little fucboi

In training.

GIRL 2

That's probably what his learners

Permit is for. Soon he'll be a

Licenced fucboi.

GIRL 1

Ugh. Gag. Coffee?

GIRL 2

Yeah. Let's go.

The girls leave and Ziggy struggles to get around traffic. The road clears for a moment.

ZIGGY

Straight away! Straight away! Straight

away!

Ziggy accelerates through the straight away and comes to the turn around. He starts to gun the accelerator again. He arrives back at the corner and stops, the girls now gone.

ZIGGY

Son of a bitch.

Something catches his eye and he adjusts his rear view. Cop car. Blue lights flashing. He looks over his left shoulder and a cop comes up. Ziggy rolls down the window.

COP

License and registration please.

ZIGGY

I have my learner's permit.

Joy's apartment. Hope unlocks the door and enters. She looks around, examining Joy's family photo. She picks up the book that Joy had dropped.

AMANI

What are you doing here?

HOPE

Amani!

AMANI  
Are you alright?

HOPE

Yeah.

AMANI

What are you looking for?

HOPE

Nothing.

AMANI

Good, because that's all you're

going to find.

HOPE

Were you following me?

AMANI

No. I came to pay my respects

HOPE

To Joy? You didn't even like her.

AMANI

She was a puella like me. It

doesn't matter what I thought

of her. If she'd let me go ahead

she'd still be alive but now that

she's gone she's not an enemy or

a rival, just ashes of what was

once a sister. Do you have her key?

Hope holds out the key to the apartment. Amani takes it.

HOPE

Hey, you can't-

AMANI

She's my responsibility. I'll

take care of everything that

Joy left behind.

HOPE

I don't think Joy would have wanted that.

AMANI

You're exactly right.

Let's get out of here.

The girls leave the building and walk away into another sunset.

HOPE

What will happen now?

AMANI

Joy registered herself in

the school with phony documents.

Since the day she made her wish

she's created a fake life to pass

off as just another girl. An

empty paper trail is all that's

left. The school will ultimately

deem her missing but with no parents

nobody will know.

HOPE

So she won't have a funeral or

a burial or-

AMANI  
She just had her funeral. She would

have been grateful to you for showing

up. Joy wanted to be remembered by

the ones she fostered. There's

another who wasn't as appreciative as you.

HOPE

You sound like you knew her for

a long time.

AMANI

Honestly I'm just telling you the

things that will make you feel

better about it. It's going to be

like she never existed so I can't

get bogged down in emotions over it.

HOPE

Have you seen other Puella

die like that?

AMANI

Yes.

HOPE  
How many?

AMANI

I stopped counting.

HOPE

It's not fair.

Amani stops and Hope ceases also.

AMANI

It's perfectly fair. We don't

deserve these wishes. We should

be facing reality as it is.

The wish, the contract gives

us a venue for any life we want.

But not in a place where wishes

last forever. Here in the real

world the contract eventually

catches up with us. You ask

for something you don't deserve

and it destroys you. I can't call

that anything but fair.

HOPE  
So you know that, but you

still don't regret making

the contract?

AMANI

I know what I'm doing and why

I'm doing it. The only question

for me is how, and today I think

that question got a little easier.

Now you know all this and to be

Honest I'm actually glad that it

happened. It's good that you

watched her die.

Hope is on the edge of breaking down.

HOPE

Why do you hate me so much?

Amani walks away.

Hospital. Prudence comes down the hall carrying a vase of flowers and reaches for the handle to Will's room. It opens before she can touch it and Amity is exiting.

AMITY

OH!

PRUDENCE  
OH!

AMITY

Prudence. What are you doing here?

PRUDENCE

Stopping in to see a friend. How

about you?

AMITY

There was some homework that I

needed to give to Will. Nothing

big, but Mr. Colgate said that

It's a good study guide for

standardized testing, so he

wants him ready, Will, Ready

for if...you know, when he

comes back to class.

PRUDENCE  
OK. OK. I was just, you know

wondering.

AMITY

Yeah. It's just homework and

stuff.

PRUDENCE  
Oh, yeah. I get it but, you

know, FYI. I'm always coming here.

I'm learning about physical therapy

and stuff, and Will and I work really

well together, so if there's more

homework or something has to get to

him just give it to me.

AMITY

Oh, yeah. If I knew that, I would

have just given it to you first.

I guess Mr. Colgate didn't know that.

PRUDENCE

No. I talked to him about it he

knew and now you know, and now we all

know that I'm helping with Will. So-

AMITY

Well I'm sorry if I upset you.

PRUDENCE

No. No. Not upset. What? Just let

Me handle things for Will because it's

Less effort.

AMITY

Yeah. Yeah. But he's got the paperwork

there's no due date, just review and

stuff.

PRUDENCE  
Is there anything else you need to-

AMITY

No. No. I'm set. He's got the papers

I'm good. He's good. It's all good.

You're good.

PRUDENCE

Yeah. Yeah. I am. You want to do

anything tonight later like see a

movie? Netflix?

AMITY

I got a lot to do at home. I need

to get it all done.

PRUDENCE

All what?

AMITY

Uh, like homework, house work, reading

Work. It. All of it.

PRUDENCE

OK. See you tomorrow.

AMITY

Yeah. Will says he's fine.

PRUDENCE

He told you that?

AMITY

Yeah. Yeah he did.

PRUDENCE

Did he say anything else?

AMITY

No. No. Just that he's fine.

PRUDENCE

Well, OK. But just between you

and me he's lying.

AMITY

What do you mean?

PRUDENCE

He's not fine, Amity. It will

be a long time before he's fine.

He says he's fine because he doesn't

want you to worry about him, but

unless by some miracle he-

Prudence stops herself. Realizing that the thought of the contract has crossed her mind.

AMITY

I gotta go, Prudence.

PRUDENCE

Yeah. Um…

AMITY

Bye.

PRUDENCE

Bye.

Amity leaves quickly and Prudence breathes a sigh of frustration as she enters. Will looks out the window, not acknowledging her. Prudence shuts the door and sets the flowers on the stand before sitting down.

ACT 2

Police station. Interrogation room, Ziggy sits alone. Lemon enters.

LEMON  
OK, Ziggy, I have very good news.

ZIGGY

Really?

LEMON

Yeah, the car had no damage on

it. You won't be charged with

destruction of property. You

will be charged with Grand Theft

Auto which is not a game.

ZIGGY

No. That's bullshit.

LEMON

You were driving around in a

stolen car. That's Juvenile

hall, kid.

ZIGGY

No. No. I mean. I get a

lawyer, right?

LEMON

Yeah. Sure. You can have a

lawyer. Public defender. Call

your parents they can hire one

maybe. But I don't even see

this being pled down to probation.

ZIGGY

I didn't even steal the car!

LEMON

So somebody else did?

ZIGGY

Yeah. I don't know where it came

from.

LEMON

That's still receiving stolen

property.

ZIGGY

I didn't know where she got the

car from.

LEMON

She?

ZIGGY

Yeah. She just wanted to know

about an airbase and-

LEMON

Airbase?

ZIGGY

I want a lawyer. I need to stop

Talking. I want a lawyer.

LEMON

Winchell airbase?

ZIGGY

I want a lawyer. I want to

call my parents and I want a

lawyer.

LEMON

Black girl, five foot four?

Winchell Airbase?

ZIGGY

I want a lawyer!

Lemon rises and exits the partition door, looking in on Ziggy. Hastor sits in the office behind the desk. The cell on the desk rings.

HASTOR

Hastor.

LEMON (VO)

Hastor? This is Lemon.

I'm in an interrogation and

you want to get down here right

now.

HASTOR

One of my old collars?

LEMON

Fam-ten.

Hastor is running through the halls of the precinct and enters the Interrogation partition and looks at Ziggy.

HASTOR

What else has he said?

LEMON

We got to call DHS.

HASTOR

No. No. No. No. No.

I got this.

LEMON

Hastor!

HASTOR

Detective work. Did he have

anything on him?

LEMON

Wallet. Phone. Thirty bucks.

Student ID. It's all being

sent to the evidence locker

across town.

HASTOR

Why do they do that so

goddamn fast? How the

hell am I supposed to run

an investigation?

Hastor enters the room with Ziggy's file he pursues the info.

HASTOR (CTD)

Ziggy is it?

Ziggy does not respond.

HASTOR (CTD)

Well, Ziggy, I'm detective

Hastor. This may sound strange

but right now I'm the only friend

you've got.

ZIGGY

I told the other guy. I want a

lawyer.

HASTOR

Yes and he's on the phone

getting the public defender

right now. But the lawyer:

you need him but he's not

your friend. He's going to

cut a deal with us. That's

what he does. It's his job.

Him cutting a deal means you

do a little time in a juvie.

Right now I'm your friend

because you have information

on my case. Doesn't have

anything to do with this car.

You got the keys from a girl,

right? Black girl.

ZIGGY

Maybe. Lawyer. Now.

HASTOR

Alright, let's look at it

like this. You have no leverage.

That means you're powerless now.

You take your case up with the

judge and he goes hard in the

paint on you. But I have this

case. I'm looking for a girl.

You know this girl. She goes to

your school? Gave you the keys.

I don't even need you to fill in the

Blanks. This is easy. I'm guessing

But just looking at you I know I'm

Right. Honestly, I don't need you.

I go to your school and I find her.

Done. This is your chance to cooperate.

Just tell me what I need to know

About this girl. Maybe I make a phone

call to the dealership where the car

was stolen. Maybe get charges dropped,

you walk.

ZIGGY

You can get the charges dropped?

HASTOR

You've got until your lawyer gets

here, if that happens we have to

play hardball. Hearing, trial,

guilty verdict, felony, Juvie hall.

If you do cooperate and I get this girl

She takes the wrap that means you

don't even need a hearing. You're

off and we get the real culprit.

ZIGGY

I got to call my parents. Are-

HASTOR

Your parents are already here.

They're in the lobby waiting.

ZIGGY

Wait. Wait. Whoa. Whoa!

My parents are here?

HASTOR

Yeah. Yeah. You are going to

talk with them after this.

ZIGGY

Oh my God. Oh my God.

No. Oh my God. They can't

be here.

HASTOR

Don't worry about it. We

are going to help you take

care of this. All we-

ZIGGY

Are you going to try to get

me off?

HASTOR

Yeah, sure, plea bargain.

Like I said. I'm you're only

Friend right now. Take the plea.

ZIGGY

So it's not as bad and I'm good, right?

HASTOR

I need the name, Ziggy.

You've got to give me her name.

ZIGGY

OK.

HASTOR

OK. What's her name?

ZIGGY

Amani. Her name's Amani

Stanton. I was doing a

research project and she

asked me about an airbase.

She gave me a car.

HASTOR

So that's it. Amani?

ZIGGY

Yeah. Yeah. I found some files

About this airbase and gave it to

Her. It was her idea. All hers.

HASTOR

Winchell airbase?

ZIGGY

Yeah. How'd you guys know?

HASTOR

Well, Ziggy, that's where things

are going to get a little dicey for you.

ZIGGY

Really? I mean you just said-

HASTOR

Yeah, well, unfortunately

Winchell airbase had a situation

I'm not going to get into and if

your 'research' was what I think

it was then you're going to have

to face some government hacking

and espionage charges. Along

with aiding a domestic terrorist.

Good luck with that.

ZIGGY

Wait, what?

HASTOR

I gotta go find your classmate-

The door opens and Jenkins, the public defender comes in.

HASTOR (CTD)

Ah, Jenkins. Ziggy, this is

Mr. Jenkins he's your lawyer.

Very busy man but he can get

you a good deal. I'd suggest

to take whatever you can get.

Hastor leaves for the partition taking out his phone.

LEMON

We got her.

HASTOR

I'm not wasting a second.

Call his school's principal

teacher, janitor. I don't

care. Anyone. Find out where

this girl lives. I'm calling

the judge now for a warrant.

Be at my car in five minutes.

LEMON

The DHS and NSA agents?

HASTOR

Once we got her. Then we'll turn

her over. I get the collar.

LEMON

You know we need to contact.

HASTOR

Lemon, come on. Right now this

Is just a stolen car. Let's hear

Her side of things before we jump

to conclusions. I'm not contacting

those agents unless I know I'm not

wasting their time. I'm moving

on it right now. Are you?

LEMON

God, you are arrogant.

HASTOR

Prideful. Arrogance is

confidence misplaced. Pride,

That's confidence exactly

where it should be. Five.

Hastor leaves.

Hospital Room, Prudence and Will still haven't addressed one another.

PRUDENCE  
I'm going to put on some music,

OK?

Prudence walks to the CD stereo alarm in the hospital and plays Vivaldi's spring Alegro Pastorale from the four seasons.

PRUDENCE

You always liked Vivaldi, right?

Will does not respond.

PRUDENCE (CTD)

I can remember once you were

Playing Vivaldi and I slipped into

Your room. It was a Sunday afternoon

You didn't even know I was there.

I lay down on the couch under your

Loft, pretty well hidden from your sight

I closed my eyes and just listened.

You stopped playing but I kept my

eyes closed just thinking about the

music you played. It made me feel so

calm and even warm. I wasn't even

paying attention when you were opening

the drawers. I was lost in the world

your music makes. "Prudence!" you

shouted. There you were, buck naked

changed out of your church clothes.

I shrugged it off and was like "What?"  
I know you were super mad but what I

Never told you was I only said that to

Keep from laughing. If I had laughed

At you then I'm pretty sure you would

Have hated me for it. God's truth I'm

Still holding back laughing about it.

WILL

Do you enjoy watching me suffer?

PRUDENCE  
What do you mean?

WILL

I mean are you a sadist? Do you enjoy

misery, and watching others in pain?

PRUDENCE  
No. Of course not.

WILL

Sure. OK.

PRUDENCE  
Why do you ask?

WILL

Why do you keep coming here?

PRUDENCE

I'm sorry do you want me to go?

WILL

Why do you keep playing violin music?

PRUDENCE  
Because you love violin.

WILL

I love to play violin. I once

did. Now you come and make me

listen to it. Do you know what

it's like? It's like pouring out

water into sand in front of a man

dying of thirst! Or it's like

Eating thanksgiving dinner in front

of a starving family! I never

want to hear the violin ever again.

PRUDENCE

What do you mean? No. You've always

Loved violin!

WILL

What do I have to do? How many

times do I have to tell you before

you hear me?

PRUDENCE

I'm hearing you right now, aren't I?

WILL

Then listen. I hate the violin.

I hate hearing it, I hate seeing it,

I hate that I found the one thing

in the world I'm best at and that

it's gone forever just for you

to come here and wave it in my face.

PRUDENCE

You want me to turn it off? Is that all?

WILL

Oh, my god!

PRUDENCE

Look, I'll just turn it off, and we

can talk.

WILL

I don't want to talk to you. I

want you to get out of here!

PRUDENCE  
What do you mean?

WILL

Leave me alone.

PRUDENCE

No Will shut up!

WILL  
Prudence.

PRUDENCE

You can't just push me out, Will.

WILL

Get out!

PRUDENCE

No. No. You tell me. Talk to me.

WILL

Leave me alone!

Will whips his limp wrist, which strikes the vase and it shatters, cutting his hand.

PRUDENCE(padding the wounds)

Oh, no! Will! Doctor! Doctor!

Does it hurt?

WILL

I wish! Everything hurts now. My ribs

ache, my head swells, my legs buckle and

my whole body seems to be in pain, but not

that. Not that thing! Not my hand. It

feels nothing! It's gone! There's

nothing I can do. I'd have my hand hurt

twice as much as all the rest, if only I

could feel and move it again.

PRUDENCE

Will, you can't give up, we have to-

WILL

They're going to amputate, Prudence.

PRUDENCE

What?

WILL

They're going to cut off my hand

next week. (begins crying) They've

got to sever my hand from my arm.

It's just going to get battered and

Bruised so they got to get rid of it.

PRUDENCE

You can't let them do that.

WILL

I don't have any choice. I'm lost.

I have to give up on music now, and

I can't even bear it. They're going

To cut off my hand.

PRUDENCE

No, we're going to get you playing again.

WILL

How? Do you intend to work some

miracle or magic spell? How can

you fix this?

Prudence stands, looks at the window, where Arvess hovers just outside menacingly in the light of sunset.

PRUDENCE

Will. I would do anything to hear

you play violin again. If there

is a miracle or magic to do that

I won't hesitate.

Prudence turns to walk out the door.

Night. Street. Hastor and Lemon pull up at Amani's apartment while lemon works on a smart phone. Hastor taps Lemon as she sees Amani through a window, coming to the door of the apartment.

HASTOR

OK. Did you get anything more?

LEMON

No. Congenital heart disease and

foster parents. This is where she

lives. That's all I've got.

HASTOR

OK. Stay in the car.

Amani walks out of the building. Hastor leaves the car and walks to her.

HASTOR

Excuse me miss. I'd like to talk

to you a moment.

Amani reacts with ambivalence.

AMANI

Hello detective Hastor.

HASTOR

You know who I am?

AMANI

You have some questions for me?

HASTOR

You can come with me and I'll be

asking you those questions

downtown.

AMANI

You can ask me right here. I'll

be honest. Come closer.

HASTOR

I don't think-

Amani holds up her hands.

AMANI

I'm unarmed. Come closer.

Hastor pauses for a moment, but takes the bait coming within arms-reach of Amani.

HASTOR

Did you steal a car and deliver

the keys to a boy named Ziggy?

AMANI

Green sports car? Yes.

HASTOR

Did you steal guns and ammunition

from the freedom hawks militia?

AMANI

Jebadiah and Jr.s guns? Yes.

HASTOR

Did you infiltrate Winchell Air

force base and steal a large

high explosive device?

AMANI

MOAB? Yes.

HASTOR

Alright, then I'm placing you

under arrest.

AMANI

You'll never catch me.

HASTOR

You have anything you want to

say?

AMANI

You didn't bring your gun.

HASTOR

We have to make sure that bomb

is safe, so we need to interrogate

you. I need to take you in alive.

AMANI

Good. I won't use a gun either.

But we are done here.

Hastor is about to seize Amani but stops, as though knowing that Amani can make good on her statement.

HASTOR

What's your next move?

AMANI

Getting away from you.

HASTOR

Where's the bomb?

AMANI

It's safe. I promise. The bomb

Will not be used against anyone.

It's even safer now than when it

Was in that hanger. Mercy Hastor,

For once in your life trust

somebody.

Hastor reaches out to grab Amani but she vanishes instantly and is immediately running in the opposite direction down the street. Hastor turns.

HASTOR

Lemon!

Lemon pulls up in the car and the pair race down the street.

Hastor gets on the Police Band.

HASTOR

Suspect Amani Milele Stanton.

Five foot five. On foot heading

South.

Amani turns a corner.

HASTOR (CTD)

She is armed and dangerous.

Advise all available units pursue

now heading west on-

The car clears the corner but Amani is not to be seen.

LEMON

Where is she?

HASTOR

Stop the car.

The car stops sideways in the street, and from behind the direction they were headed Amani stands in the street looking at them.

LEMON

Got her.

The car starts chasing her again, just as the headlights catch up to her she vanishes from the street and the image pans to show her now running on the sidewalk.

HASTOR

We can't cut her off.

Just stick with her.

She vanishes again.

LEMON

Oh, Christ.

HASTOR

She's been back tracking us.

Look behind.

LEMON

She's leading us.

Sure enough Amani runs around a corner behind the two officers. They turn the car around and get around the corner just as Amani ducks into a dead end street. The cops pull up. Lemon cocks a pistol

HASTOR

Whoa. Whoa. No guns.

LEMON

Hastor, you need backup. She

wanted us to come here. It's a trap.

HASTOR

No guns, Lemon.

Lemon pauses for a moment before nodding and pulling out a tazer.

LEMON

Taze her.

HASTOR

OK. Give it to me.

Flashlights blazing the two enter the alley.

HASTOR (CTD)

Amani! We have you pinned down

here. You want to resist we'll

zap you. Stay where you are.

Turn around and put your hands

behind your head.

Hastor meticulously scans the ground which comes to an end in a brick wall. Probing around with a flashlight. Hastor realizes the alley is empty aside from some junk and walled in from all other sides. Hastor is alone.

LEMON

Hastor, what do we got?

HASTOR

It's clear. She got away.

There's a trash can at the end of the ally and Hastor kicks it in frustration. A grief seed rolls out from under it. Hastor looks closely at the object.

LEMON

Got something?

HASTOR

I don't know.

Hastor puts on a glove and picks up the seed, perplexed by the strange object. It hums resonantly which carries on into...

Hope's Room. Hope is trying to sleep but the resonant hum rings in her head. Frustrated she jumps out of bed throws on some clothes and gets to the street.

Streetside. Hope wanders, being led by the sensation of the resonance when she happens upon Amity wandering in a nightgown.

HOPE

Amity! Amity! What are you

Doing here?

AMITY

Hello, Hope. It's good to see you.

Today I realized something

About myself. I'm not a good

Person, Hope, so I thought I'd

Follow some bad people tonight to

See what they do.

HOPE

What are you talking about, Amity?

Hope sees the witches kiss on Amity's neck.

AMITY

Follow me. You'll see.

HOPE

No. I think we should go home.

AMITY walks on, undaunted, even oblivious to Hope. She walks into an abandoned movie theater and hope follows. Behind them the entrance is shut and barred. In one of the screening room, devoid of even seats where rubble lays strewn and refuse is piled in the corners, stands several other people all in the same state with the same mark on their necks.

AMITY

Good I'm not too late.

HOPE

I think it's time to leave.

AMITY

Sh. It's starting.

The projector comes on. 5…4…3…2- and the crooked image of strange stock footage and a soundtrack of distorted orchestra music cues up. A man in a shirt and tie wearing a Neon gas mask steps out on the stage in front of the projected image. He cocks a bolt-action rifle.

HOPE

We need to get out right now, Amity.

AMITY

Join us all, Hope. All the

Worst people. Put your hands up.

Surrender.

As Amity closes her eyes Hope sees that the gunman is taking Aim at her. Hope quickly takes her to the floor as the shot rings out and zips by the girls. The Gunman lowers the Rifle to look at Hope. He takes out a Trucker's Friend Axe hammer and stalks towards her as the people remain in their entranced gaze. (C1) 'The Elfin knight' by Prikosnovenie begins to play. Hope runs for the projection room and closes the door. There is nowhere to hide. The man in the gas mask beats down the door quickly and Hope moves to the side of the room, but the man ignores her and looks out the projection window onto the screen. Hope looks out as well and sees that the shadow of a grief seed is being projected there upon. She looks into the beam of the projector and sees the shadow of the seed suspended in the beam. She has no time to react before the shadow seed absorbs her along with a nearby fire extinguisher. Inside the seed barrier her body is distorted and inverted streams of celluloid film reels shoot through the air and behind her Television screens assemble like a giant brick wall. Images of distorted shadow figures, girls playing smiling and killing one another over and over.

HOPE

Oh, no. Someone? Is anyone out there?

GIRLS VOICE (Whispered, barely audible)

Now you be me. Now you will all see.

HOPE

Who are you?

GIRLS VOICE (Whispered, barely audible)

I have seen you. Seen you through and through.

Eyes dimmed by death. Witnessed a final breath.

The show goes on. Goes and goes till all is gone.

Weep or wail or rage. I tread your tears on my stage.

A the witch in the form of a Mobius strip of appears. In the twist of the Mobius appears the figure of a girl; limbs and arms and skull-like head protruding from each frame with others exuding hair and eyes. The Mobius encircles hope and all the extremities grasp and probe her. Runes appear that read "Kristen."

Hope falls into a television which shatters and it grows its glass around her skin.

HOPE

AAAAAAH! Help! Help!

A sword spins and glimmers into existence above Hope and slices through the witch and pierces the fire extinguisher which sprays out a cloud of white. When the cloud clears, Prudence stands holding the sword over the extinguisher husk.

HOPE

Prudence!

PRUDENCE

Stay back, Hope.

The witch is shown some distance away and it has Amity in its grasp. Prudence transforms into her Puella magi form a blue-clad sword wielder. She leaps towards the witch to be met by two familiars: stage lights mounted on metal skeletons Packed with Synthetic fluff and wrapped in clothy limbs. She slices through the familiars. Raising her hand she pulls out five of her swords and tosses them at once at the witch. The swords open in a blossom and strike the witch, freeing Amity. Prudence charges the witch with great speed and slashes the witch multiple times. The limbs pull back into the frames of the film and out come hand holding revolvers. They take aim at Prudence and fire but she outruns them, ducking behind TV sets and jumping into the air as the bullets race by. She throws a sword in a whirl and the blade severs three of the hands. The witch screams and Prudence takes the opportunity to close in, slashes the witch into submission before planting the blade into the distorted face hidden in the frame of the film.

PRUDENCE

Aaaaaaaand…Cut!

She slashes the witch a final time and the film is cut in two before burning and dissolving away as the witches barrier fades. Hope and Prudence stand in the theatre as a grief seed descends and rests on the floor. All the others brought around by the witch, Amity among them lay unconscious on the floor. Prudence converts back to a normal looking girl.

HOPE

Prudence?

Prudence turns.

PRUDENCE

Yo, Hope. What's up?

ACT 3

A blurry image comes into focus. Prudence and Hope. The two are awakening Amity who shakes her head.

AMITY

What's going on?

PRUDENCE

We caught you sleepwalking, Amity.

AMITY

What?

HOPE

I can't believe we met up like this.

AMITY

Yeah. Yeah.

PRUDENCE

You need our help?

AMITY

Is that the old movie theatre?

HOPE

Yeah, that's it.

AMITY

Oh, Whoa. I'm really far from home.

PRUDENCE

Should we help you home, then?

AMITY

No. No. It's late guys.

What time is it?

HOPE

Yeah. It's late.

AMITY

Goodnight.

Amity walks away and at the same time Amani walks in.

AMANI

I'm too late?

PRUDENCE

Ah. It's just who I wanted to talk to.

AMANI

Where's the angel?

PRUDENCE

I left him at the hospital. Crazy thing.

I made a wish and my soul gem-

AMANI

Hope DelSoro, did you make a wish?

HOPE  
What?

AMANI

Answer me!

PRUDENCE

Hey!

HOPE

No. I didn't Prudence did.

AMANI

Witch is dead?

Prudence holds up the grief seed. Amani nods then walks away to sit on the brick wall of a street garden.

PRUDENCE

OK. I think I better lay some ground

rules. First of all I don't like you

as much as Joy did so don't expect any

olive branches or helping hands.

Second, you leave Hope alone. Third,

we help each other when needed. Egos

aside. Now about witches-

AMANI

Are you done listening to yourself

Talk?

PRUDENCE

I'm talking to you, Amani. This is

My home town and you're a guest.

So even at school I want you to play

Nice. Now witch is dead, go to bed.

AMANI (ambiguously)

I lost my home tonight. I won't be

Going to school anymore either.

Don't really have anywhere to sleep.

It doesn't matter though.

HOPE

You lost your home? Do you need a

Place to stay?

AMANI

I'm OK. This won't be too hard.

Two weeks.

HOPE  
If you need anything-

AMANI

I don't need your help, Hope DelSoro.

PRUDENCE

What in the world did you wish for?

AMANI

To meet the brand new day. Hey.

PRUDENCE

Damn. Doesn't look like it's

playing out too good for you, does it?

AMANI

Go to Hell, Prudence.

PRUDENCE

Anything else you want to say?

AMANI

Two weeks. You have to keep yourself

Alive. Between me, you and Charity it

should be OK. We have enough. Just

got to keep it together.

PRUDENCE

What's two weeks? Who's Charity?

AMANI

Don't worry about her. In two…

It's called Walpurgisnacht. It's…

It's a spectacle. Could kill a lot

of people.

PRUDENCE

OK. What are you going to do?

AMANI

I'm prepared.

PRUDENCE

Prepared for what? You already

tried to kill Arvess, you're

threatening other Puella now you

know about this giant spectacle

and you're only telling me now?

Just what are you planning? Who's

side are you on?

AMANI

I'm on my own. Same as you and

everybody else. You've got a grief

seed. Use it.

PRUDENCE

What? Now?

AMANI

Whenever you have to.

PRUDENCE

What? So I can be like you? Just an

empty shell keeping herself alive for

nothing?

AMANI

You use grief seeds, Puella. It's

what you are.

PRUDENCE

What I am? Some things are more

Important. Justice. Protection.

Loyalty. Living without those isn't

living. But you…It's pathetic.

Come on, Hope. Let's get out of here.

HOPE

Amani, I'll try to help.

AMANI

That's the last thing I want you

to do. You've helped enough as

it is.

Hope and Prudence walk away and later Amani is shown in the dark of the park wrapped in a blanket. She shakes her head.

AMANI

Jesus Christ.

School. Daylight. The final bell rings and class gets out. Prudence struts happily from class, admiring her soul gem ring and humming to herself. Amity comes up from behind her.

AMITY

Hi, Prudence.

PRUDENCE

Oh, Hi, Amity.

AMITY

I didn't really sleep walk all the

way down to the old theater did I?

PRUDENCE

Afraid you did.

AMITY

That's crazy.

PRUDENCE

Well, it's our little secret.

AMITY

I was in my nightgown and my hair

was all messed up! I was so

embarrassed walking home I could die!

PRUDENCE

I sleep naked so it would be worse

for me.

AMITY

You what?

PRUDENCE

You heard me.

AMITY

That's terrible. Why would you

Tell me that?

PRUDENCE

Why not?

AMITY

What if your apartment burns down?

PRUDENCE

I'll jump out a window and stand next

to it to keep warm.

AMITY

You're awful.

PRUDENCE

Eh.

Amity

By the way I wanted to ask you-

PRUDENCE

Yeah? What?

Hope comes from behind and jumps on Prudence's shoulders

HOPE

Hi, Prudence.

PRUDENCE

'Ello Hope.

AMITY

Hope you won't tell anyone

About last night will you?

HOPE

What? It wasn't a big deal.

AMITY

I was wearing next to nothing.

Being out that late? My parents

Would kill me if they ever found

out.

HOPE

Just say you came back from

a sleep over. Like did you tell

her about our last sleep over?

PRUDCENE (winking)

The one when I was naked most

Of the time?

HOPE

You what? No- Wait. Ooooh.

(She smirks)

Yeah. It was that one. I was

All like 'God, Prudence. Get

dressed. My dad might see you.'

PRUDENCE

Yeah, but I like being nude at

Your house. You don't know what

it's like to be so free as tits

in the wind, do you Hope?

Amity flushes over red.

AMITY

I better go.

PRUDENCE

Wait. We were planning a big

slumber party! Just the three

of us. Pajamas optional!

AMITY

I gotta go! We'll talk later,

Prudence.

Amity departs.

HOPE

That was cruel.

PRUDENCE

That was justice.

Exterior of the school. Prudence and Hope. Prudence lays back on grass and puts her hand in the air, sparkling her ring in the sun.

HOPE

So how does it feel?

PRUDENCE

Regular. Really. I'm the same as

I was this morning as I was last.

Tomorrow is just another day. Just

Now I have a job to do. I have to

Pick up where Joy left off. This

City and these people need justice

and I'm a part of that now.

HOPE

It was pretty impressive, I won't lie.

PRUDENCE

Yeah. I just had my swords out

And slash, slash, slash. Witch

Went down.

HOPE

Hey, Amani really didn't show up

today.

PRUDENCE  
Seems so.

HOPE  
What do you think is going on?

Why she said all that stuff about

Leaving home and school?

PRUDENCE

She doesn't want to work my district.

I'm Joy's replacement now so she

doesn't want to even get close to me.

I'm this city's protector. A true

Puella Magi.

HOPE

Puella Magi. Be honest. What's

different now more than before?

PRUDENCE

There's only one real difference.

Prudence converts her ring into its soul gem form and the glow that comes off it is slightly faint.

PRUDENCE (ctd)

Just as Joy said, it's darker than before.  
Well, that's the taint, the darkener but

it affects you but not like I expected.

You can ignore it, but…It's like always

having a dream in the back of your mind.

It grows and repeats like a song stuck

In your head. I barely even know it's

Going on right now, but it would totally

Be a distraction if I let it go.

HOPE

So you have to clean it out, right?

Prudence takes out the grief seed.

PRUDENCE

Yeah, so I just…uh…Put the needle

Part in the bottom here and twist.

I can…Wow I'm nervous. It's my first

time-uh-trying. Here. You do it.

HOPE

Me? Why? This is your thing now.

PRUDENCE

I'm over-thinking it. You can just

Get it over with for me.

HOPE

Prudence?

PRUDENCE

It will be fine. I trust you.

HOPE

I don't want to do this.

PRUDENCE

Neither do I.

Prudence hands the items over to hope.

HOPE

How does it work again?

PRUDENCE

Put it in and twist.

So Count to three. Do the thing

And say the Alphabet from A to Z.

HOPE

OK. You ready?

Prudence nods then braces herself. Hope breathes deep then injects the seed. Prudence Jolts and tightens. Hope twists the seed. Prudence doubles over, it's too much for her.

HOPE(CTD)

A…B…C…D…

Hope removes the seed and Prudence regains her composure and wipes her eyes.

PRUDENCE.

Yeah. That was bad.

HOPE

I really didn't want to

Do that, Prudence.

PRUDENCE

It's OK. Hope. I feel fine.

Better, actually. My head is

Clear all the way now. You

Just did me a big favor. I

Have to get to the hospital,

Though.

HOPE

Are you-

PRUDENCE  
No. No. I feel great. I'm

Just going to meet up with

Will. I'll talk to you later

Alright? Bye!

Prudence gets up, taking the seed and gem and jogs off, Hope standing in a lurch not being able to even vocalize a farewell. Prudence jogs behind a tree and collapses, looking at the seed in her hand.

PRUDENCE(CTD)

Every two days? Why did I…

She braces herself and tries to control her breathing.

Hospital. Prudence walks to Will's room. Will is doing homework. He doesn't look up, but waves with his left hand.

WILL

Hey, Prudence.

PRUDENCE

Your hand?

WILL

What about it?

PRUDENCE

Is it OK?

WILL

Yeah. Why? Did my Doctor say

anything?

PRUDENCE

No. You're fine. Aren't you?

WILL

Well fine…I'm getting better.

Are you OK?

PRUDENCE

I had a hard day. Can I sit down?

WILL

You're welcome.

Prudence sits and composes herself, still shaken she closes her eyes. Blackout. Handel's Hornpipe in D from "water music" is played heard faintly on violin. Prudence POV. Image fades in unfocsed and comes into focus on Will playing violin. Prudence gets out of the chair and lays her head on Will's bed, just listening contently. Will stops to look at her.

PRUDENCE

So your hand is better?

WILL

Better? It was about the only

part that didn't get injured.

Good thing. I don't know what

I would have done if I couldn't

Play.

PRUDENCE

I do. It would have driven you

Nuts. You would have lost all

The ambition and confidence and

Optimism of your life. But don't

Worry because now, by some miracle

You are alright to play whatever

You want. Keep playing.

Will raises his bow once more to play Partitia number 3 Gavotte en Rondeau by J.S Bach. The image rotates around the enchanted Prudence, and out the window before taking in a view of the city under afternoon skies and fading out.

Back of a bus near sunset. Charity, a pony-tailed punk rock Asian girl lays back, eyes closed in the seat with her headphones plugged in and turned up playing (C2) "Warren" by Slint. She wears a soul-gem ring which has a red cat's eye shaped stone. The bus cruises down the street, barely occupied and the bell sounds for the next destination. Charity stirs, sits up. She picks up her bag covered in patches that have band names or have punkish slogans like 'die many live once.' 'pull down the antennas' and 'fkuc dyslexia.' She hops onto the street unwrapping a candy bar and makes her way to an overlook above the city. Inside he bag are a horde of grief seeds and she rummages through the contents to find a pair of

binoculars which she uses to survey the city. She kills the music. Arvess floats down from above.

ARVESS

Welcome back Charity.

CHARITY

Eat shit, pixy dust.

ARVESS

I trust you came because…

CHARITY

Yep. But I didn't expect Joy

To get merked so quickly.

ARVESS

Recklessness wasn't her character.

It seems she tried it once and

Died for it, while you practically

Embrace it and reap rewards tenfold.

CHARITY

Are you done talking to me?

ARVESS

I thought you would want to be made

Aware of the current situation.

CHARITY

The situation never changes.

What else is there to know?

ARVESS

There is another Puella in the

Area, who-

CHARITY

She's on my radar. Jumps around

A lot. I want to test her out.

ARVESS

So you've found a way to locate other

Soul gems by their resonance. Interesting.

There are also two potentials, but

They haven't made any wishes yet.

CHARITY

Maggots.

ARVESS

Well, if that's everything. Happy

Hunting and I'll be on my way.

CHARITY

No. It's not everything. I've

Had some time to think about it and

I've decided that the worst part is

That no one knows what I wished for.

I think it's pretty diabolical. If

Some people knew what I did for them

Things would have worked out better.

ARVESS

You must know by now that we can't

Change the present, only alter the

Past. But your wish made the world

exactly the way you wanted, right?

CHARITY  
Yeah.

ARVESS  
Then I don't understand why making

The wish effect the present and not

The past would make you feel better.

The end results are the same.

CHARITY (to herself)

A little fucking gratitude.

ARVESS

You have my gratitude.

CHARITY

Yeah, Yeah, Yeah. We who are about

To die salute you. Get bent.

Charity forms her soul gem into its normal shape and sees that it is resonating.

CHARITY

Oh. Witch nearby. Dinner is served.

ARVESS

Wait. Charity. It looks like one

Of the potentials wants to make a wish.

Charity breathes through a grimace at having to deal with another puella. But concludes she can handle it.

CHARITY

Then take care of it. I gotta

Get paid.

Charity stows her binoculars, puts her headphones in and hits play on her phone. (C3) "Mine" by Cows begins to play. Charity runs to the edge of the overlook and jumps. She transforms mid-air into her red Puella outfit and falls into a shadow on the ground. Whereupon she summons her weapon, a delta edged spear. The Labyrinth is a beach of a lagoon in a red ocean. The lagoon's waters change color from Red to Orange, Green, Blue Indigo, violet around a central blackened Island, raging in a forest fire. Familiars in the form of giant Crabs made of Paper mache and protruding wires emerge from the sea and charge Charity. Charity spears and kicks each one that approaches. Her spear extends chained segments becoming whip like with nunchuck segments and she whips and bashes the Crab army. Despite this she is shortly surrounded, though the crustaceans fear coming closer. High above a seagull flies backwards and it is seen that the tail is actually a deranged face and the head is a plastic doll's Torso. The bird dives at Charity, but she smiles at it. Charity assembles her spear, points it into the sky, and around her Runes of her insignia glow and energize before launching her into the air. She spears into the mouth of the beast and perfectly nails the deranged, jagged face of it before arching her trajectory onto the flaming island. She smashes into the sand, but emerges, whisking away the plume of sand with a single swipe of her spear. From out of the fire emerges an enormous serpentine salamander head made of giant lips and tongues and a snakes body below it crafted out of densely knit necklaces and barbed wire. The name "Petunia" in runes appears. The serpent strikes at Charity who slashes across the witches face. Stunned, the witch whips its tail out at Charity, who jumps deftly over the strike to slice the head once more. A tongue falls off the Serpants head reavealing a head with brow and ears and chin but a face covered in fingers. Necklaces extend from the tail of the witch and bind Charity to the barbed wire body. The serpent re-enters the burning forest. Wincing, Charity gets enough wiggle room to raise her arm and summon her spear. With a whipping motion she cuts herself loose and stands, stabbing the great serpent in its trunk. The witch screams and writhes. Charity, in leaps and bounds through the fire makes her way up the witch and wraps its head with the chained form of the spear. The chains transform into rune emblems that bind the witch in one place. The lips and tongues of the witch open, and the fingered face, now clearly with shoulders and arms wriggles and writhes to escape. Emerging from the fire Charity stands poised with her spear before leaping and striking the face of the witch which absorbs all the surrounding flame upon itself, clearing the island of all but burnt out cinders below a blue smokeless sky. The Witch burns then bursts into ash as the labyrinth fades.

Charity re-appears on the overlook, now clutching a grief seed. In the distance a glimmer catches her eye. She takes out her binoculars just in time to see Prudence glowing brightly blue, holding a new soul gem like a newborn star.

Charity takes a big bite of her chocolate bar.

Roll credits.


	5. Amity

Chenalos presents

A 14 rivers play for the screen

Based upon Puella Magi Madoka Magica

The Magic of Hope

Episode 4: Amity

Mail Chenalos at yahoo  


twitter at ChenalosFiction

Teaser

Prudence gets ready at her mom's apartment and leaves to the street. The sun shines on her as she makes her way down the steps out the entrance and sitting on the side snacking on granola bars is Charity. Charity takes her headphones out and (D1) "No Martyr" by the Avengers is playing. The two look at one another for a moment before Prudence smiles and waves and Charity returns the gesture. Prudence shrugs her off and walks to school. Charity follows behind closely. Prudence can hear the music coming from Charity's headphones. The awareness of being followed grows in Prudence and she finally turns to confront Charity.

PRUDENCE

Can I help you?

Charity patiently circles Prudence with an ambiguous smile.

CHARITY

Don't you just look cool as a tool?

PRUDENCE

Excuse me?

CHARITY

What did you wish for?

PRUDENCE

Oh. Oh, you're a Puella?

CHARITY

Existence precedes essence.

PRUDENCE

What?

CHARITY

Shut up and tell me what you

wished for.

PRUDENCE (Resetting)

Hi. My name is Prudence.

Who are you?

CHARITY

Hi. Prudence. I'm new in town

So this is going to sound

Strange but I'm taking over.

PRUDENCE  
Taking over what?

Charity stops the music.

CHARITY

What defines the world to you?

PRUDENCE

I have no idea what you are

Saying.

CHARITY

My name is Charity. I want you to tell

Me your personal philosophy.

What composes and encompasses

The world we live in

From your point of view.

PRUDENCE

You mean why I became a puella?

CHARITY

Answer the question. What is

Your philosophy? Your meaning

Of life?

PRUDENCE

Justice. Justice exists and chaos is defeated.

CHARITY

Oh. Well that's going to be

A problem.

PRUDENCE

Why?

Charity deftly and quickly swats her spear at Prudence. The blow sends her flying to the other side of the street. She barely has time to prop herself up and Charity is above her lifting Prudence by her throat one handed.

CHARITY

Justice does not precede chaos,

Prudence. Justice is a response

To it. The world is by its nature

Chaotic so the justice of your

Philosophy is an illusion. But in

chaos there is freedom. We are

In fact alike to and no more

than our very minds in that we

Are defenseless against reality

but boundless in potential.

PRUDENCE

Put me down.

CHARITY

Ground rules first. Witches are

Now on a first come, first serve

Basis. No teamwork and no hand

Holding. If you want to eat,

You have to hustle for it. If I

Get to a grief seed before you, leave

It alone, and I'll do you the same

Courtesy.

Prudence winces defiantly at her.

PRUDENCE

You Bitch.

CHARITY

Those are the rules. Objections?

Are you going to do anything?

Prudence summons up a sword and is about to strike a blow.

Vingnette shots of Charity and Prudence. Suddenly Charity is batted away by shove from Amani that splits the two apart.

AMANI

There's no need for this, Charity.

Charity sees the girl has appeared seemingly out of nowhere.

CHARITY

Hello…

AMANI

Amani Milele Stanton. The girl

You were manhandling was one of

Joy's potentials. Show a little

respect.

CHARITY

Amani. What'd you wish for?

AMANI

That's not important.

CHARITY

I need to know who I'm working with.

AMANI

He who has a 'why' to live can bear

Almost any 'how.'

CHARITY

Hey. That's Nietzsche.

AMANI

It doesn't matter what I wished

For. My actions are whatever they

Must be.

CHARITY

Spoken like an Ubermensch wannabe.

I guess you heard the rules?

In this time Prudence has composed herself and draws up her sword.

AMANI

Yes. I'll comply so long as

there is no more infighting.

Like what I just had to

Regulate here. The only other

Rule that I insist on is to stay

away from the remaining potential puella.

Prudence with a battle cry lunges at Charity who leaps off the sidewalk all the way to the top of a street lamp.

CHARITY

Nice talking with both of you

But I have hunting to do. I'll

See you out in the killing fields,

Darlings.

Charity leaps again into the distance.

AMANI

She's going to antagonize you

Relentlessly, Prudence. Keep

Your patience.

PRUDENCE

You know anything else about her?

AMANI

Plenty.

PRUDENCE

You know her weaknesses then?

Anything?

AMANI

Weaknesses? Well…she quote mines

Philosophers to sound smarter than

She actually is and also she likes

obscure, old, shitty punk rock.

PRUDENCE

Pfft. Thanks. I'll remember that.

What if she comes for me again?

AMANI

Defend yourself but don't go on the

Offensive. She'll kick your ass if

You try.

PRUDENCE

You think she's stronger than me?

AMANI

She has more experience and she's

Not some loose cannon hot head.

PRUDENCE

Like me?

AMANI

Like you.

PRUDENCE

Ah, to hell with her, and you too.

Go hunt a witch or something!

AMANI

I mean it, Prudence. Don't let her-

PRUDENCE

Shut up!

(D2)"Douglas Leader" by Bitch Magnet plays. Prudence storms off furious and visibly shaken when she spies a boy on a crutch making his way out of a car in front of her school. It's Will and she hurries over to greet him.

PRUDENCE

Hi, Will.

WILL  
Hello, Prudence.

PRUDENCE

You didn't tell me that you were

Coming back to school, you idiot.

WILL

Didn't want to make a big deal.

PRUDENCE  
Don't be a jerk.

WILL

I'm not a jerk.

PRUDENCE

Yes you are.

WILL

You trying to get me angry?

PRUDENCE

Just because I'm glad you're back

Doesn't mean you're not a jerk.

WILL

Hey. Thanks for helping me Prudence.

It's easy to start blaming others when

You're in pain. But no matter how bad

Or stressed I got, even when I was mad

You were there when I needed a friend.

You're the best.

Prudence blushes, smiles and looks away before looking into his eyes playfully

PRUDENCE

As if you could ever pay me back.

The two walk side by side as they enter the school. At a distance we see that Amity has been watching the scene unfold.

Charity sits on an overlooking skyscraper looking down on the city. Her headphones on, she listens to it and the lyrics "I am the one. I am the only one." Plays out she puts a granola bar in her mouth smiles like the ruler of a new kingdom. Back at the school Amity watches as Prudence and Will walk by. Shot of Amity doubting herself and then steeling her resolve.

End of Teaser

TITLE

AMITY

Roll intro

ACT 1

School. Perry enters the full classroom. English homeroom. Hope, Amity and Prudence are here.

MS PERRY

OK, class. I have someone here

To talk to you all. A Police

officer who has a few Questions.

So let's welcome detective Hastor.

Hastor enters to no fanfare.

HASTOR

Hi, kids. I just wanted to

Ask this homeroom class about

A student who is absent today.

Her name is Amani Millele

Stanton and she may have run

Away from home. Did she speak

To any of you or tell of any

Plans she had to go anywhere?

Pan across the classroom shows that either no one knows or no one is talking, so far as Hastor is concerned. Hope sits, anxiously and Prudence is straight-faced. From a pocket Hastor produces the grief seed. Upon seeing it Hope gasps and jolts just slightly enough to get Hastor's attention.

HASTOR (CTD)

I met with Ms. Stanton night

Before last. She had this on

Her. Either dropped it or left

It behind. Curious little thing.

It was warm when I found it and I

Thought that was just because she

Was holding on to it. But, no,

It stays warm. I even put it in

A freezer and the darn thing never

Drops below body temperature.

I don't know the first thing

About what it is, but I think

Amani can tell me so if you

Want to get in touch with me

Just get your parent's permission

And then talk to your teacher.

She'll get you in contact

with me and I'll make sure that

you don't get in any trouble

for helping us all out.

Hastor points at Hope.

HASTOR(CTD)

You, in the Ribbons. Do you

Know anything about Amani

That could help me out?

Hope smirks awkwardly before straightening out her face.

HOPE

I don't really know much

About her. She just transferred

In like a week or two ago.

HASTOR

What's your name?

HOPE

Hope. My name is Hope DelSoro.

HASTOR

Hope. You had a funny smile

There for a second.

HOPE

I did? I mean I don't know

I just kind of smiled a little.

This is a strange thing to happen.

That you'd come in with a grief

Seed. I mean, how random.

HASTOR

Is that what they're called?

HOPE

What?

HASTOR

Grief seed? Is that what you call

Them? What are they?

HOPE

What? No. I just called it that

Off the top of my head. It

Looks pretty strange whatever it is

They look like…grief and kind of

Ball, seedy.

HASTOR

There are many strange things going

On Hope. Even when you go to the

Same place and see the same people

Over and over nothing's the same

If there's something strange going

on. Is there anything else you want

to tell me?

PRUDENCE

Stop hitting on her. She wasn't

flirting with you.

The class chuckles

M. PERRY

Prudence!

PRUDENCE  
What? Hope smiled. People can

smile. It's not against the law.

HASTOR

Amani's family is very worried

About her whereabouts. If

Any of you can help, talk to

Your teacher and she will get

In touch with me.

Hastor's phone rings. The screen reads "They want you back at the club house. They know." Hastor silently curses to herself.

HASTOR (CTD)

Thanks for your time, kids.

I'll be ready to hear from

You if you have any information

On Amani's whereabouts.

Hastor leaves as Hope breathes a sigh of relief and Prudence carouses her shoulder a bit.

Amani walks the street. Charity comes seemingly from nowhere and walks along side of her while eating a burrito.

AMANI

Hello, Charity.

CHARITY

How do you know my name?

AMANI

If I told you it was from

Joy that would be a lie. She

Never talked about you.

CHARITY

I don't care what she thought.

AMANI

You don't want to talk about

her?

CHARITY

Only the wisest and stupidest

Of men never change.

AMANI

What do you intend to do while

You're here? You think you're

Going to take over now that

she's gone?

CHARITY

Better a flawed diamond than a

Perfect pebble.

AMANI

OK. Well how about your thoughts

on Prudence?

CHARITY

Never give a sword to someone

Who can't dance.

AMANI

You didn't come here just to

Quote Confucius.

Charity finishes her burrito.

CHARITY

You're the type of person to

Ask a question you already

Know the answer to, aren't

you? I actually wanted to ask

about your lifestyle.

AMANI

What about it?

CHARITY

You're a homeless Puella, like

Me.

AMANI

I have shelter, but I have to

Keep moving. I stole something

And cops are after me.

CHARITY

You're telling me this? Aren't

You afraid I might turn you in?

AMANI

They can't give you what you

want. Bedsides you'd see any

reward as something to weigh you

down. Furthermore, puella like us have

to steal to survive and you know

that better than I do.

CHARITY

That's awful familiar of you.

Anyway, I'm wondering why you're

Still in town. You ever stop to think

about the big world out there?

How everyone here is just stuck

In an endless loop of the same

Days over and over? It's so dull

In this town, isn't it? Don't you

think it would be better if you

just moved on to get away from

all this?

AMANI

I have a responsibility here.

CHARITY

How so?

AMANI  
We both know what you're doing.

The witches are being drawn to

This place. It's why you are now

Trying to intimidate me to leave.

This urban field has suddenly

become harvest ripe but have you

bothered to wonder why there

are so many witches coming here

in the first place?

CHARITY

Not a clue.

AMANI

That's the toughest part.

Walpurgisnacht is coming.

CHARITY

Bullshit. You can't know that.

AMANI

I know where and when. Less than

Two weeks from today coming in from

The bay.

CHARITY

How can you be certain?

AMANI

Law of averages.

CHARITY

Shit. Are you headed out of town?

That's what I'd do. Let it blow over.

AMANI

I'm staying. I have to fight it.

Charity starts to laugh. She has to stop walking.

CHARITY

You don't even take care of yourself,

But you want to die for this place?

AMANI

You too will fight it with me.

With the uptake in witches we should

Have enough grief seeds.

CHARITY

You want a frontal assault on

walpurgisnacht? Well that's just

brilliant. What a lover's suicide.

AMANI

We are going to defeat it. We have to.

CHARITY

Even if we do beat Walpurgisnact, what

Then? Is there an endgame for all this

Or do you want to go out in a blaze of glory?

AMANI

The best person makes the difficulty

to be overcome their first interest;

success only comes later.

CHARITY

Are you trying to confuse me?

AMANI

No teamwork and no interference.

Your terms were fair. These are

My terms. If you stay in this town

Then you must fight walpurgisnacht.

CHARITY

The weak don't dictate to the strong.

You have to show me that you're

Worth my time if I'm going to listen.

AMANI

Fine then. Make your move.

Charity quickly summons up her spear and takes a swing at Amani who vanishes before the blow can land. Charity's follow-through is caught by Amani who is now behind Charity. Amani shoves Charity away disarming her. She plants the spear. Charity turns.

CHARITY

Hey. Impressive.

With a snap of her finger the spear vanishes from Amani's hand and is back into Charity's.

AMANI

If you want the fruits, then you

Must help with the harvest.

CHARITY

You can't make me fight that

Thing. If I skip town it's

Your problem isn't it?

AMANI

You're here, Charity. Confucius

says wherever you go…

CHARITY

Go with all your heart.

AMANI

What does all your heart even

Look like? Do you have it in

You? Fight Walpurgisnacht with me.

Charity thinks for a moment before turning away.

CHARITY

I don't know. I might go ask

Prudence what she thinks.  
We'll talk later.

Charity vanishes her spear before dashing away. Amani stands alone in the breezy street before tossing her plaited hair and walking off.

School. Last bell rings. Hope and Prudence leave the grounds together.

HOPE

I saw Will was back.

PRUDENCE

That's what you want to talk about?

HOPE

Well, yeah.

PRUDENCE

Geez, it's like you're changing

The subject before I even brought

It up.

HOPE

What subject?

PRUDENCE

That cop. She had a grief seed

And she's hunting for Amani.

HOPE

We can't worry about that.

PRUDENCE

Oh. There's even more to deal with.

Apparently there is another puella in

Town. Her name's Charity and she

Tried to fight me this morning but-

Prudence stops to see that Hope is spaced out looking distant.

PRUDENCE(Ctd)

What is it, Hope?

HOPE

There's a familiar. It's not

Far from here. It might become

A witch's kiss.

PRUDENCE

OK. Let's do it.

The pair make their way across town to an alley where a familiar, a little sock puppet in a mine cart is careening around.

HOPE

There it is.

Prudence takes off after the apparition which guns it in the opposite. Prudence throws a myriad of swords at the familiar and one of them pins it to a wall. Prudence leaps to finish it off but just as she is about to strike Charity jumps in her way and bats her down to the ground. Prudence rolls to a wall and Hope runs to her aid. Charity is drinking a blue slurpee.

HOPE

Prudence! Are you alright?

The familiar wiggles loose and scurries away.

CHARITY

Oh, for Christ's sake. Why are

You trying to kill a familiar?

It won't drop a grief seed.

PRUDENCE

You again.

CHARITY

You should be doing your job.

PRUDENCE

Why don't you mind your own

Business?

CHARITY

You're not helping anyone by killing

That thing. You need to worry about

Killing witches. Society cares for

The individual only so far as she is

Profitable. Remember that.

PRUDENCE

Why did you stop me? That thing

Is going to curse some innocent

Person.

CHARITY

When that person dies the witch will

Become stronger and might try to

manifest itself. Then I can get the

grief seed.

PRUDENCE

You'd let someone die for that?

CHARITY

There's an order to this. The

People eat the lambs. The Witches eat

the people. We eat the witches.

Everyone has a stomach to fill.

Appropriation by destruction.

PRUDENCE

Do you not even care for the innocent

People who are going to die just

Because you want seeds?

CHARITY

You can't seriously protect Everyone

from everything. Don't even try.

Put the monkey people out of your

head and make some decent use of

your time.

PRUDENCE

Monkey people?

CHARITY

That's all they are. They'd need

A soul gem to become anything

Better.

Prudence steps forward.

Charity walks to Prudence. She sets up a barrier separating Hope and Prudence.

HOPE  
Prudence!

PRUDENCE

How could someone like you ever-

Ever become a Puella?

CHARITY

I made a wish. That's all there

Is to it. It's like love. It

Gives all and it takes all.

PRUDENCE

That's not what love is.

CHARITY

Oh. So you want to tell me what

It is? Is that what you wished

For? Did you fall in love,

Little girl?

PRUDENCE

Shut up.

CHARITY

Tell me all about him…You know

Assuming you swing that way. You're

Cute too. I won't lie. Young girl

In love. You know, it might have

Worked out for you. In Another life.

HOPE

The two of you, stop. There's

No need to do this!

ARVESS

It's no use, Hope.

Arvess floats down to land next to hope behind the barrier.

HOPE

Arvess, you have to stop her.

She's trying to start a fight.

ARVESS

The only person who can stop

Them is you.

HOPE

What? No I can't.

ARVESS

If you make a wish you will become

A puella stronger Than either of

them. They'll have to listen to

you.

Charity slurps down the last of her slurpee and tosses the cup.

CHARITY

Do you think he might not love

You back? That's a real pain.

You should tell him before it's

Too late. Hahaha. Like it's not

Too late already.

PRUDENCE

Shut up, Charity.

Prudence calls up a sword and Charity summons her spear in kind.

HOPE

Prudence! Don't let her get

To you. She's trying to make

You fight.

CHARITY

I'll find out, Prudence. I'll

See how you operate, your

Motives, you pleasures. A girl

Simply can't conceal herself.

I'm going to find him and I'm

Going to take him from you.

Prudence unleashes a series of sword slashes that Charity parrys off of her staff. With a swift, vicious blow Charity smacks Prudence across the alleyway. Prudence hits a concrete wall hard and lands in a heap.

CHARITY (CTD)

I'm wasting my energy. Get to

witch hunting and stop

Chasing familiars. Trust me,

I'm letting you off easy.

Charity turns to leave and as she starts to walk away. Prudence stirs and rises to her knees. Charity stops.

CHARITY(CTD)

I don't want to turn around.

HOPE

Prudence! Don't fight any more.

She might kill you.

PRUDENCE

Is that all you're good for?

Come on, Charity. Impress me.

Charity sneers and stomps the Slurpee cup flat. Then turns to charge, spear in hand rushing at Prudence who wields two swords and charges. Charity's spear unravels into chain linked segments that smack Prudence back to the wall. Prudence looks up to see another whipping of chain headed her way. She leaps and throws swords and Charity but she dodges and re-assembles her spear to again deflect Prudence's sword strikes. She slaps Prudence across the face with the shaft and brings her down to her knees. Going back to the spears chain form she whips on Prudence's back as she cowers defensively. Hope turns to Arvess.

HOPE

So I can stop this now can't I?

They won't fight like this?

ARVESS

You can be the ruler of all

Puella.

HOPE

How?

ARVESS

Just a wish. If you wish to

Rule the puella it will be done.

HOPE

Ok, Arvess I wish-

AMANI (V.O)

There's no need for that.

HOPE

Amani!?

Prudence is once more tossed back in the alley. She takes out a faucet head with the force of the blow and water begins to gush out. Charity points her spear at Prudence.

CHARITY

And that's that!

Charity charges Prudence with what looks like a killing blow. Vignette still shot of Charity lunging toward Prudence, Hope looking on behind the barrier and the droplets of water frozen in the air. A reflection of Amani can be seen refracted in the droplets of water. She is moving as the water is still.

The water gushes once more. Charity slams her spear into the wall. Prudence is now opposite the wall she once was, Amani in front of her both are looking to Charity who pulls her spear.

CHARITY(CTD)

Again with that reappearing act.

AMANI

I don't want to see this kind

Of behavior again, out of either

Of you.

CHARITY

Oh, Ok, Mom.

Prudence gets to her feet and marches past Amani sword drawn.

PRUDENCE

Out of my way, Amani. This little

Bitch is-

Amani vanishes from behind Prudence and re-appears in front of her and backhands her face instantly. Prudence hits the deck a last time.

AMANI

I am tired of repeating myself.

Your bellicose posturing does not

Serve the ultimate end goal.

Prudence, Charity hunt witches

Or go home. We still have

Walpurgisnacht to defeat.

Charity chuckles to herself.

CHARITY

That backhand, though. OK.

I'll leave. No more trouble.

Prudence, the demand to be loved

is the greatest of all arrogant

Presumptions.

Charity breaks up the barrier, seals her spear and transforms out of her puella form to walk away. Hope runs to Prudence.

AMANI

She's fine. Just get her on

Her feet.

A police siren is heard in the background.

AMANI(CTD)

I have to go. Take care of

Yourself first. She comes second.

Amani departs and it's only Hope and Prudence left. Prudence comes around

HOPE

They're gone. You're OK.

PRUDENCE

I am not OK, Hope. That psycho

Bitch is trying to kill me!

HOPE  
Maybe we can talk to her, get

Her to-

PRUDENCE  
Talk to that!? These are the

Kind of people that Joy left

Behind? No wonder she was alone.

I get that now. There's no

Difference between Amani or

Charity or even me.

HOPE

Don't say that, Prudence.

PRUDENCE

Me don't say that? I don't need

your opinion on what to think,

do I?

HOPE

OK, Prudence. I don't want

To make you mad.

The two wait for their tempers to calm.

PRUDENCE

I'm sorry, Hope. She just got

To me. I'm going home for now.

We'll witch hunt tomorrow.

HOPE

OK. Take care, Prudence.

PRUDENCE

You too.

The two part ways and as she leaves Prudence's phone rings and she answers.

PRUDENCE

Hello, Amity

AMITY (V.O)

Prudence I have to talk with

You.

PRUDENCE

It's important?

AMITY (V.O)

Very. I'll be at the Rollins

Café at five.

PRUDENCE

OK. I'm on my way.

Police station. Hastor walks into an office where Agents Dixon and Dewitt await.

HASTOR

OH, D&D from NSA and DHS.

What can I do for you two?

DIXON

I'd like to say you can

Turn in your badge.

DEWITT

Believe me, we are taking

Steps to do that end.

DIXON

In the meantime could you

Tell us exactly how long you

Intended to keep your suspect

A secret?

HASTOR

Suspect in what? A car-jack?

That's all I've got.

DEWITT

We've debriefed Ziggy what's

His name. We know it all.

We at least know as much as

You have for the last three

days.

DIXON

Your noncompliance has

Endangered the lives of

Thousands. We will get you

Terminated before the end

Of the month. As of now

I'm going to relay to you

On behalf of your chief that

You are being suspended for

Two weeks pending

investigation.

HASTOR

You guys stink of green, you know

That? The Jealousy from you two.

I've got this in the bag. I've

Got the suspect. I've got the

Know how and I am ahead of you

Both. So how about you relax and

Let me do what I do best and more

Importantly what I do better.

The agents step back, Dewitt shaking his head.

DIXON

We're done now. Go home.

HASTOR

Alright, Agents. You may

Know what I know but let me

Tell you: catching her with

Your method is impossible.

If you want Amani Stanton

Caught then you are going

To need me.

DEWITT  
The only things we need are

The remainders of your

Reports. What you need is

A new job as a mall security

Guard and maybe get a lawyer

Who can handle five months in

A federal court.

Hastor holds up her badge.

HASTOR

You take this any way you want to:

I am going to find that girl before

you do and there is nothing you can

do to stop me.

Hastor leaves the badge on the table and leaves the room. Lemon approaches Hastor.

LEMON

Is it as bad as I think it is?

HASTOR

Yeah. I'm out, but you're

Still in. I'm going to need

You, Lemon.

LEMON

Hastor.

HASTOR

Don't worry. I can still operate

I just need you on the inside when

the time comes. When I find her

I'm going to make an off duty

arrest. Then I just need a hook

up to get back in. Are you my

hook up?

LEMON

You have officially withheld

A witness from national security.

HASTOR

Are you my hook up?

LEMON

You've let a potential terrorist

Run us around alleys downtown

With nothing to show for it.

HASTOR

Are you my hook up?

LEMON

Now you're trying to position me

Against a federal investigation.

HASTOR

Lemon, are you my hook up?

Lemon tries to force a "Yes" and a "No" for a moment.

LEMON

When the time comes. I'll make

A judgment call.

HASTOR

I'll be in touch.

Hastor leaves the building.

Café Rollins. Five minutes to five. Prudence sits at a chair flipping through her phone with a coffee in front of her when Amity approaches and sits down opposite her.

PRUDENCE  
Hey, Amity

AMITY

Prudence.

PRUDENCE

Feel alright?

AMITY

Yeah. I'm fine. Why

Do you ask?

PRUDENCE

You sounded worried or concerned

Over the phone.

AMITY

Well Prudence, I have to do

Something that's very difficult.

PRUDENCE

So, do you need my help? I'm

Here for you.

AMITY

No Prudence. It's difficult

Because you're the one I have

To face.

PRUDECNE

Huh? I don't know what you mean.

AMITY

How do you feel about Will?

PRUDENCE

Will?

AMITY

Tell me what you think of him.

PRUDENCE

I don't know we've been childhood

Friends forever. I always saw him

As a kind of music nerd. He's overly

sensitive and I am the tomboy type so

he's always been easy to tease, but

he's never been really mean to me and

growing up we've talked a lot so I got

all the dirt on him, and he's always

honest and his eyes when you look at

him a while are…Wait, why are you

asking me this?

AMITY

Do you like him, Prudence?

PRUDENCE

You mean do I think he's cute? I

Mean he's always been a pretty boy.

AMITY

No. Do you like him, Prudence?

PRUDENCE

Well, it's weird because we've

Known each other so long that

We're more like brother and

Sister at this point.

AMITY

Prudence, do you like him?

Prudence is stopped short being put on the spot like this. She freezes up a moment before finally managing-

PRUDENCE  
I don't know.

AMITY

I like him, Prudence. I am

Going to ask him out.

PRUDENCE

You? YOU!? You never date

Anyone! You turned down something

Like ten guys already! But now

You want to go out with someone

And Will at that? The doofus with

A violin? The busted hand?

AMITY

He hurt his hand?

PRUDENCE

No, no. It was…Come on! Will? You

like him?

AMITY

I've wanted to go out with him

Since last year. Just before his

Accident. I didn't have the courage

To ask.

PRUDENCE

I don't get you Amity. I've been

Checking up on him and helping him

Through physical therapy for months.

Where were you in all that? I mean

if you like him so much-

AMITY

Because I knew you wouldn't let me

Near him. Because I knew you wanted

To stay close to him. Because I was

Scared of what it meant to fight with

My friend over a boy who's only trying

To get better. I tried to move on,

I tried to forget him, I tried to

Convince myself that you'd be with

Him for as long as he's hurt. But

I can't do it anymore. He's back

And I'm going to ask him out. I'm

Telling you this because I think

You want him too. So I'm giving

You the opportunity. You still

haven't told me you like him, and

maybe you don't so if not don't

ask him out. If you do want him for

your own then you have one day. It's

five. Tomorrow at this time I'm going

to ask him out and I really, really

want him to say yes. OK.

The two wary friends stare at each other ambivalently.

AMITY(CTD)

You're my friend. Not for long,

but for now. Go get him. I might

hate you for it if he likes you

and not me but still don't wait.

There's no time left. Good luck,

Prudence.

Amity leaves. Prudence removes her soul gem ring and looks at it in her hand as though it's become a restraint on her very being. She closes her hand over the ring, brings the fist to her mouth and breathes anxiously

Hope's House.

A clock on Hope's desk reads eight PM. She sits doing math homework, but stops unable to get the thought of Prudence and Charity fighting one another out of her mind. Upset and distracted she gets up and heads downstairs to find her mother having a drink at the table top.

HOPE

Oh, You're back. We had dinner

An hour ago if you still want some.

RACHEL

No. I ate already.

HOPE

What's going on?

RACHEL

We're going to close the deal.

Shipments start next month. Boss

Called me a pant-suit pit bull

And he only hands out a backhand

Compliment if a sweet deal like a

Bigger bonus is on the other side

Of it at some point. My monthly

win So I thought I'd come home and

Have a little drink to Celebrate.

HOPE

You shouldn't drink alone, mom.

RACHEL

Exactly why I'm glad you're

here. What's up, baby girl?

Hope props herself to the table.

HOPE

Well, a girl I knew died recently

RACHEL

What?

HOPE

She was more like a recent friend.

I didn't know her well but she went

Someplace far away and I found out

She died in an accident.

RACHEL

You're smirking.

HOPE  
I'm not trying to.

RACHEL

Well, it's OK. You feel like

Talking about it?

HOPE  
Well, it just like when I'm

About to move past this there's

Something else. A new girl came

into town and she's fighting with

Prudence. You know how Prudence

is. She's impulsive and easy to

get riled up. So they fight

pretty hard.

RACHEL

Hm.

HOPE

It seems like all I can do is

stand on the sidelines while

They both go at it.

RACHEL

What kind of fighting?

HOPE

They beat each other up.

RACHEL

You're not fighting are you?

HOPE

No. I wouldn't.

RACHEL

But you want to find some way

To stop them, don't you?

HOPE

Any ideas? I try reasoning with them.

RACHEL

People don't want reason. They

Want validation. That's what

Business negotiation has taught me.

Telling someone what they don't want

to hear gets you nowhere no matter

how good it is for them. You have

to give them what they want before

they'll see your side of things.

HOPE

I don't have anything like that!

I just don't want them to fight anymore.

Rachel breathes out with trepidation.

RACHEL

OK. There is another way. Want

To hear it?

HOPE

Yeah. Sure.

RACHEL

You know me and uncle Greg, how

Sometimes we'll be in an argument

And then one of us will say "Arizona

Desert" and we stop arguing?

HOPE

Yeah. I never understood that.

RACHEL

OK, well, back in the early 90's we

Were on a family vacation. Driving

through Arizona with the Windows down

with no AC. It was hell. Your

uncle and I were arguing, as siblings

do, about music. You see I really

liked New kids on the block.

HOPE

Who?

RACHEL

You know. Joey McIntyre's band.

HOPE

Who?

RACHEL

I know you're my child but please

Stop making me feel old. I liked

New kids on the block. Were they

Good? Doesn't matter they were

Cute boys. Anyway he liked

alternative rock like the Breeders

and Veruca Salt and Sonic Youth.

HOPE

Who, Who, and Who?

RACHEL

Precisely. So anyway we are having

this argument and him saying 'oh

they suck they don't play their own

instruments.' I tell him he listens

to distortion garbage. Nana and

Papa just had enough it, Papa looked

back to yell At us to shut up and

not looking at the road he hits a

little plank of wood with a nail in

it. Hits both right side tires. We

were in the middle of nowhere and had

to walk until sun down eight miles to

a gas station in the Arizona desert

to get towed to a garage. Greg and

I death marched under the Scorching

Arizona sun, getting burns that took

a week and a half To peel off. We

didn't argue once the whole rest of

the trip.

HOPE

What? So I have to leave them in

The middle of a desert?

RACHEL

Pour yourself some orange juice or

Something. At least pretend you're

Drinking with me.

HOPE

Why orange juice? Booze?

RACHEL

Nope.

HOPE

Someday we're going to have a good

Drink together.

Hope leaves her chair to pour some juice as Rachel continues.

RACHEL

The moral of the story is we learned

Not to argue if the argument doesn't

Mean anything. Very few people learn

This. It's not just agree to disagree

It's agree that it's not worth the

Effort. If you can Leave them in a

desert to figure things out for

themselves you can get them to settle

any differences.

Hope returns with her glass. She sits across from her mother and the two clang glasses together.

HOPE

So make them see a bigger picture.

RACHEL

No. Put them in a bigger problem.

If you could take two arguing parties

And drop them in a desert would you?

Don't know if my sweet, innocent Hope

Has the guts for that.

HOPE

Yeah. Probably not.

RACHEL

It's rough to get through being

A teenager. But adolescence is just

The start. There are bigger problems

To come and we can only live life

bit by bit. Step by step…Ooh, baby.

Gonna give it to you girl.

HOPE

Was that just-

RACHEL

Don't judge.

Rachel takes a drink as Hope smiles at her.

ARVESS(V.O)

Hope! You have to come quickly!

Hope turns to see Arvess behind the glass window of the kitchen.

ARVESS(V.O. CTD)

Prudence and Charity are going

To try to eliminate one another.

We've got to go now.

HOPE

Mom. I've got to go. I forgot

Something.

RACHEL

Wait. Hope, did you finish your

Homework?

Hope runs out the door.

Sunset colors a public clock shows it to be 7:30. Prudence walks the street to Will's house. She is nervous and torn up inside that one of her dear friends would betray her trust. She gets outside of the gate to his house and from an open window hears music. It's Haydn's Violin concerto in G. She steps to one side to see Will playing and she gazes at him longingly hidden in the shadow of a tree. Will stops playing and appears to shuffle his sheet music. Prudence admires him more and then the faint sound of (D3) Descendants "Silly girl" is heard played through a pair of headphones. Prudence turns to see Charity eating a pastry. Charity takes her headphones out and the sound of the music becomes clearer.

CHARITY

Life without music would be a mistake.

PRUDENCE

Charity! What are you doing here?

CHARITY

Where was I going to go?

PRUDENCE

Look you crazy bitch I don't-

CHARITY

You like him, huh?

PRUDENCE

What?

CHARITY

Voilinist. The cute one. You

Like him.

PRUDENCE

I am not going to get pulled

Into your game, Charity.

CHARITY

Game? No this is real life.

You want it you have to go

Out and get it. Same is true

For that boy up there. If you

Want him go up and get him.

Nothing stopping you. Problem is

You can give it all to him and he

Still might leave you. What then?

PRUDENCE

Get the hell away from me.

CHARITY

Break his legs. Put him in bed.

That way he can't ever walk away.

He'll need you to survive. Then

he's all yours. You ever see the

movie Misery?

PRUDENCE

Leave us alone.

CHARITY

Us? You think you're that close

To him? There's no room for me in

This at all I bet. I'll do you a

Favor. Let me go up there and snap

those Femurs of his then you run in

to rescue him and He'll need you

forever. It will just be a second.

Prudence points a sword at Charity.

PRUDENCE

You leave this town right now or

I'll put you down myself.

CHARITY

You have no sense of humor I swear.

I knew you were full of shit when

You were talking about justice.

You just want control and power.

Sure wasn't hard to see that agenda.

Well I think it's better to be a

free punk than a tyrant like you.

Come get me.

Charity leaps again into the distance and Prudence follows along after her.

Hope runs through the streets following Arvess and arrive at a pedestrian overpass with a wide, courtyard like middle. Prudence and Charity are squared off against one another ready to fight.

HOPE  
Prudence! Wait.

Hope makes her way to Prudence's side.

PRUDENCE

What are you doing here Hope?

HOPE

Arvess told me there was trouble.

PRUDCENCE

Spot on.

CHARITY

Can we get this party started already?

Amani walks up from behind Charity.

AMANI

There is no need for this.

What did I tell you, Charity?

I don't want infighting.

CHARITY

Hey, she's threatened me and I'm

Just defending myself. You got

Any better ideas?

Amani walks on screen from the opposite side.

AMANI

If that's the case you won't

Mind if I handle this myself,

Right? I'll get her to leave

You alone.

Charity grimaces and takes out a lollipop.

CHARITY

You've got until I finish this.

Charity puts the sucker in her mouth while Amani squares off.

AMANI

All the time in the world.

PRUDENCE

Hey, taking her side, huh?

Good to see your true

Colors come out, traitor.

AMANI

I don't want any trouble. Honest.

You can go home, Prudence.

Or do you bite your thumb at me?

PRUDENCE

Bite this, bitch.

Prudence readies her soul gem to transform but before she can take any action Hope grabs it from her hand.

PRUDENCE

Hope! What are you doing?

HOPE

Arizona desert!

PRUDENCE

What's that supposed to mean?

HOPE

You can't fight without this, right?

They won't fight you without it,

So just stop for a second.

Hope backs up to the railing with the gem held behind her.

PRUDENCE

Give that back to me, Hope!

HOPE  
No! You can't do this, Prudence!

PRUDENCE  
Shut, up Hope and give me my gem!

AMANI

Don't you threaten her, Prudence.

PRUDENCE

Stay out of this! Hope, now!

AMANI

Prudence! Back off!

Hope scans the eyes that have all focused on her.

HOPE

No. I won't. I'm sorry.

She drops throws the soul gem into the freeway and it falls onto the back of a gravel truck and is taken away. Amani immediately Gasps and vanishes. Charity rushes over and the three remaining girls and Arvess watch as the truck pulls into the distance with Prudence's soul gem gleaming atop of it.

CHARITY

Hey, Angel, what happens now?

ARVESS

When the soul gem passes 200

Yards this body will lose it's

animation.

PRUDENCE

What's that supposed to mean, 'this

Body will-'

Prudence drops unconscious into Hope's arms.

HOPE

Prudence? Prudence!

CHARITY

Yeah. I figured as much. Christ.

Amani runs down the road. After ten seconds she vanishes and the camera pans up the road where she has re-appeared and continues to run at full pace. She vanishes and re appears atop a pickup truck, looking for the gravel truck which has the soul gem. As she is looking she sees a dirt bike coming up on side of the truck. The driver vanishes and is seen tumbling on the side of the road as Amani has replaced him and drives the bike through traffic before vanishing and re-appearing alongside the gravel truck. Back at the overpass Hope struggles still to awaken Prudence. Charity, for the first time seems remorseful about her actions up till now.

HOPE

Prudence! Wake up! Prudence!

CHARITY

She can't hear you.

HOPE

What do you mean?

CHARITY

Tell her, Arvess.

Cut to the Gravel truck as Amani climbs up the back end.

ARVESS(V.O.)

When the contract is made the

Decision making matrix, the mind

of the Puella, is transferred into

the energy interface; what you call

a soul gem.

Amani fishes the glowing blue gem out of the gravel, and holds it reflectively. The realization that she has lost her own agency to the contract and must be bound to a soul gem washes over her.

ARVESS (V.O. CTD)

The physical interface,

What you call a body can only

Function if the soul gem is

Within its range.

Cut back to the overpass. Prudence's eyes are blank and her body is limp.

ARVESS (CTD)

Given the tolerances of this system

the connection must be restored to

Avert the permanent dissolution of

energy and physical interfaces.

Terminal permanent usually occurs

In about 600 seconds.

HOPE

What does that mean?

CHARITY

It means that unless whatever

Amani is doing can get the soul

Gem back here in ten minutes

Prudence is going to die.

HOPE  
No. Prudence can't die.

She can't.

CHARITY

She has to die! So do I, so

Do you. The contract doesn't

Solve that problem. I'd say

It makes it worse.

HOPE

What do you mean? Worse how?

CHARITY

Look, I have accepted my contract

What about her? You think

she really wants this? No.

If she wants justice she wants

Something far better than this.

Something that's out of our reach.

I look at her now lying there

about to die and I think it just

Might be for the best.

HOPE  
You monster! You Iron-branded

venom! You twisted knarl

of barbs! Do you know

Who you're doing this to? She's

My best friend and she's only

Trying to help and what are you?

CHARITY

You were the one who threw it.

HOPE

I didn't mean to! I didn't know.

But you do. I can see it in your

Eyes. What I did here by accident

Is nothing compared to what you

Have in mind. I can tell. If you

Got to know Prudence you'd never

Forgive yourself of what you've

done. Oh, God. Prudence, I'm so

sorry.

A motorcycle coming back the other way. Amani rides it and she stops at the base of the stairs of the overpass. She vanishes and her hand is shown descending, placing the soul gem back into Prudence's hand. Prudence jolts back to life. She rises to her knees, staring at the soul gem. The girls stand over her as she catches her breath

HOPE

Prudence?

PRUDENCE  
Leave me alone. All of you.

The other girls walk away as Prudence stares bitterly at the soul gem.

Prudence's apartment. The door slams and Prudence tosses the soul gem onto her desk.

PRUDENCE

Start talking.

Arvess appears and rests on the desk.

ARVESS

What do you want to know?

PRUDENCE

I'll get the simple one out of

The way first. What happened

To Will's hand?

ARVESS

What do you mean?

PRUDENCE

I wished for Will's hand to be

Healed, but it was more than that

It's like it was never hurt in the first place.

ARVESS

His hand has always been like that.

I don't understand what you're saying.

PRUDENCE

I wished to heal him.

ARVESS

Alright.

PRUDENCE  
So when did it happen?

ARVESS  
It never did. It's always been

Like this. He never hurt his hand.

PRUDENCE

That's not true! I healed him!

ARVESS

There is no proof of that in this world.

I don't know your wish. I know I granted

your wish because there is a nexus

between us in the past but it is a secret

hidden from everyone because this is

a world where it never needed to be

granted in the first place.

PRUDENCE

That makes absolutely no sense.

ARVESS

The version of me who fulfilled the

Wish was from another timeline. The

Moment you made your wish you opened

The ley lines to the past and changed

History. This new timeline exists

exactly the way you wanted it to be.

This is not the first time I've had

This discussion but I still don't

Understand it at all. You've changed

the history of this universe and now

you're asking me why you changed it?

PRUDENCE

There's no way to alter the past like

That!

ARVESS

Sure there is. You keep a lucky silver

half dollar on your desk. Get it.

Prudence picks up the coin.

ARVESS (CTD)

Flip the coin.

Prudence complies and catches the coin.

PRUDENCE

Heads.

ARVESS

Flip it again.

Prudence again complies.

PRUDENCE

Tails.

ARVESS

OK, flip it one more time.

Prudence again flips the coin, but this time the Halo comes off off from above Arvess's head encircles the coin and levitates it within, keeping the coin suspended and spinning in midair. Prudence is astonished at the hovering sight.

ARVESS (CTD)

You see, you only think of coins

as being heads or tails. However

the coin in this state is flipping.

Therefore it is both heads and tails

And neither heads nor tales all at

The same time. While the coin flips

It is in all and none of its possible

states. It may sound strange but all

Particles in the universe will follow a

Similar Behavior in what you call a

quantum superposition. The technology

to grant your wishes taps your emotional

energy to alter the states of the

particles of the past by flipping them

here and catching them back then.

A second halo holding the coin heads up appears as the first coin and halo vanishes in a flash. The halo places the coin in Prudence's hand then rushes back above Arvess' head.

ARVESS (CTD)

Since particles are in identical states

in the present and past manipulating

them turned out to be rather rudimentary

if counter-intuitive.

PRUCENCE  
OK, the past was changed. That's

Why Will doesn't know. But how

Does that help you in any way?

Why do you grant wishes?

ARVESS

What you think of as world lines or

Time lines are actually ley lines that

Connect back to a hyper-universal

Energy source which our species and

Society tap for power in a manner

Similar to how your species utilizes

Electricity. However the vast scale

Of the energy we are using assures

That our society can exist in a state

Free of death. Free of decay. Free of

What you call entropy. That is what

your wish does for us. You connect us

to immortality.

PRUDENCE  
That's ridiculous!

She picks up and holds her soul gem.

PRUCENCE (CTD)

How can this little thing power a

Whole society?

ARVESS

First, that little thing is

Effectively your mind and being.

Second it is not supporting our

society alone.

Arvess projects a hologram of an enormous, glistening crystal high above a kingdom built in an enormous white sphere all the way around it.

ARVESS (CTD)

This is the Cleoneum. It is the

heart of a finely tuned Harmonic

crystalline quantum interface for

your soul gem and all soul gems.

Through it our society is

maintained. Each soul Gem, every

wish, every spell, every moment

Channels enormous energy through

it. The stronger the resonance

the greater the power. The

Cleoneum grants us the very thing

all sentient creatures want.

What you wanted when you made

your wish: Control. Though in

making the wish, I confess the

remaining control was taken

from you, for now you have nothing

to do but fight witches.

Overcome by the weight of this new revelation Prudence again places the Gem and coin back on the table as the hologram vanishes.

PRUDENCE

Why didn't you tell me all of

This before?

ARVESS

You didn't ask.

PRUDENCE

That's not an excuse.

ARVESS

Exactly.

Exasperated, Prudence collapses on her bed.

PRUDENCE

No.

ARVESS

You have been given a great

Ability. Specifically your

Body has powerful regeneration

Qualities. Remember when Charity

Struck you against a concrete wall?

Arvess touches a wing to the soul gem and it glows blue. Prudence is suddenly overcome with pain.

ARVESS (CTD)  
This is what it would have felt

Like without your new properties.

PRUDENCE

No! Ow! Stop! Stop! Stop!

ARVESS

It's just the beginning for

You. If you go further you

Won't feel any pain at all.

PRUDENCE

Stop! Please! Let me go!

Arvess lifts his wing. Prudence collects herself and begins to cry softly.

ARVESS

You've grown much today, but you

Didn't hunt any witches. It's

Important that you kill them

Off before they pose too much

Danger. Get some rest and be

Sure you hunt witches tomorrow.

Arvess floats away and vanishes and Prudence is left alone to cry herself to sleep. Before shutting her eyes she pleads quietly…

PRUDENCE

Will, please don't do it.

Don't leave me.

Morning.

Prudence readies herself and goes off to school. On the way she again sees will now walking with a cane. She runs up to walk along side of him.

WILL

Good morning, Prudence.

PRUDENCE

Hi, Will. No crutch?

WILL

Turns out I didn't even need

It yesterday.

PRUDENCE

Full recovery?

WILL

One month, It'll be like

It never happened.

PRUDENCE  
I'm so glad for that at least.

WILL

What about you? You look sad.

PRUDENCE

No I don't.

WILL

For you, yes you do. What's the

Matter?

PRUDENCE

Are you going to be OK, really?

WILL  
Yeah. It's true. Full recovery.

PRUDENCE

Then there is nothing wrong.

I feel great. So don't worry.

WILL

Well what are you hiding, then?

PRUDENCE

Me? Hiding?

WILL

Or what do you want to say? Come

On Prudence. We've known each

Other our whole lives. We had our

First kiss together.

PRUDENCE

Why would you bring that up?

WILL

I thought it would bug you.

PRUDENCE

We were two!

WILL

We're still two. You and me.

So tell me. What's on your mind?

PRUDENCE

Well…Did you ever feel like

Things go by too fast? Like

You had to make choices where

You had no choice? Things are

Never the way they're supposed to

Be, even when putting everything you've

Got into making them right?

Prudence sees Amity walking towards her and Will.

PRUDENCE (CTD)

I feel like even if I didn't

Run out of things to say, I

Ran out of time to say them.

WILL

I know those feelings.

I was lucky enough that I was

Given a second chance. So I

Won't take that for granted.

I could have been killed but I

Am lucky to be alive so from now on,

if there's a chance to move forward

then I won't turn it down.

PRUDENCE

OK, then. If something good

Comes to you I want you to

Take it for everything, and

Not look back.

WILL  
I'm going to.

Amity approaches them. She stands next to Will and Charity sees them for the first time as a couple.

AMITY

Hi Prudence. Hi Will.

PRUDENCE

Hello.

AMITY

You don't look well, Prudence

Are you OK?

PRUDENCE

I'm really not. I have to take

A sick day.

Prudence runs away from the school

WILL

Prudence!

Prudence's apartment. At the entrance her book bag is tossed on the floor. Her street clothes are tossed off in her room and she is under the covers in her pajamas holding a Grief seed and her soul gem. She breathes nervously and erratically preparing herself for the injection. Finally she closes her eyes and grits her teeth. She inserts and turns the seed into the gem and contorts in pain as her soul gem is cleansed. The tiny strands of taint slither and flume from the soul gem into the protruding needle of the grief seed as Prudence watches in agony for the process to end. At last the gem is clean and Prudence removes the seed, exhausted and at her emotional limit she throws the two across the room.

Time lapse as the sun climbs over the town to midafternoon.

Prudence awakens to see it is 4:30. She gets dressed and leaves the apartment. She heads down to a park where she sees Amity and Will. What she cannot hear, but only see is Amity asking him out. Amity reaches out her hand and Will takes it and the two embrace. Sadness fills Prudence's expression and she walks away from the scene filled with regret.

Night. Outside of an industrial park. Weary, Prudence walks to the twisted metal of some shut down refinery with her soul gem shining like a lantern when from behind a wall out walks Hope.

HOPE

Prudence. It was my fault.

I didn't know what I was doing

When I threw that gem. I'm

So sorry.

PRUDENCE

Oh, that? I stopped caring

About that yesterday.

HOPE

I didn't mean to-

PRUDENCE  
If you had never apologized I

Would've never remembered. It'd

Be better if you hadn't brought it

Up and now you'd better stop.

HOPE

Are you alright?

PRUDENCE

No, Hope. I'm really torn up

Right now. All I can think about

Is how much I hate Amity.

HOPE

Amity? Why?

PRUDENCE

I'm in love, Hope. I've been in

Love with Will for a very, very

Long time. Then he had the

accident and I thought he wouldn't

make it. Even then I couldn't

tell him how I felt. Yesterday

Amity came to me and told me to

confess or she would take him

from me. That's just what she

did. They started dating today.

I still couldn't say a word.

(She holds up her Grief seed)

PRUDENCE (CTD)

Or should I say that this thing…

(She gestures to her entire body)

PRUDENCE (CTD)

Couldn't get this thing to do it.

I'm not a girl anymore! I'm a

Voodoo doll being led around by

A crystal ball! I wanted to save

Him. But I think of how I hate

Amity now and I know I wanted to

Save him for myself! Is that

The kind of person meant to do

What Joy did? I've let her down.

What kind of thing am I to go

around saving people? Is that

justice?

HOPE  
I don't know, Prudence, but-

PRUDENCE

You don't know what I wished

For do you? Before I made

My wish Will's hand had gone

Numb. He was going to have it

Amputated. My wish was for it

To be healed. I heard him play

Again, Hope, and it was

Everything – it was almost

happiness!

Hope hugs Prudence as she breaks down.

PRUDENCE (CTD)

A voodoo doll full of pins and a

Crystal ball with an empty future.

He can't hold on to that! He can't

Love anything like me. Lost and

Lovesick and only good for fighting

monsters. If only I had told him

long ago then maybe none of this

would have happened.

She weeps bitterly for a moment before quieting herself into soft breathing but the silence is suddenly broken.

CHARITY

OK. Are you done?

Prudence pulls back from Hope to see Charity sitting on a wall with a large-sized cookie.

PRUDENCE

Charity!

CHARITY

Yeah. Me.

PRUDENCE

What do you want?

CHARITY

Grief seeds. There's one spawning

Here somewhere. It drew me in and

This girl too. But I don't know

Where the damn thing is.

Prudence wipes her eyes clear and looks to see a black smoke swirling up from under a conspicuous street lamp in the industrial park.

PRUDENCE

Well you aren't looking very hard.

Come on, Hope. We're going in.

CHARITY

OK. Happy hunting.

Prudence and Hope walk toward the seed as Amani appears on the wall beside Charity.

AMANI

You're letting her take it?

CHARITY

She needs the practice.

AMANI

For walpurgisnacht?

CHARITY

It's not about that, and it's not

For Joy and it's not out of sympathy.

AMANI

That doesn't leave many options.

CHARITY

You know everything, don't you?

AMANI

The Angel knows everything. I just

Know enough.

CHARITY

Last night when I watched that girl

Crying over Prudence I just got real

Hurt and sick inside. I've always

Been sick of what I do. But now I'm

Sick of what I am. Maybe Prudence

can be taught to survive like I do.

What about you? Aren't you spying

on ribbons?

AMANI

The angel is not around and

there are some things she has to see.

I hate to gamble but my luck is pressed.

Prudence will show her.

CHARITY

Fuck. Prudence.

AMANI

She's not ready to know-

CHARITY

She doesn't have to know. And It

doesn't fix anything in the long run.

As usual this is all about me.

Those who lack courage will always

find a philosophy to justify it. And

I am running out of philosophy.

The Labyrinth within the Grief seed. A light gray crystalline sky and a black hill. Silhouettes of Hope and Prudence, sword drawn, stand at the base. Atop the black hill the silhouette of a girl kneeling, praying before a giant red cross. Runes appear bearing the name "Elsa Maria." Prudence steadies her breath before charging uphill at superhuman speed. The head of a serpent springs from the back of the witch. Prudence slashes them back and is about to make a breakthrough when a branch of a great tree springs from the witches back and entangles Prudence within it. Hope steps forward, desperately

HOPE

Prudence!

A series of slashes rip out from the center of the tangled branches and Charity's silhouette leaps out of the destroyed tree branches. She picks up Prudence in midair before landing and setting her safely next to Hope.

CHARITY

Alright. You're not quite ready

For this level of competition.

Stand back and let me take care

Of it.

Prudence guides Charity aside with a sword.

CHARITY (CTD)

Hey!

PRUDENCE  
No teamwork. No hand holding.

Prudence Charges again. Again heads of serpents rear themselves to strike. Prudence leaps into the air slicing head off, then at the apex of her rise stands upside down on a magical sigil in the form of a circular musical stave. She leaps down chopping the heads off of the serpents. One opens its mouth directly at her. She slashes into the mouth and chops the snake down to the base where Prudence swings and decapitates the head of the witch. An explosion of serpents emerge from the body and sink their teeth into Prudence's flesh. Undaunted, smiling, laughing, mad with anger and bloodlust she chops at the mangled body of the witch The dying serpents pry at her body and she slashes them to ribbons.

PRUDENCE

He's right! It's easy when you

Don't feel pain anymore. Did

You say something like that Will?

You'd give anything to feel pain

Again? Was that another life or

A dream?

The serpents again lunge at her and with a toothy grin and weeping eyes she slashes into them until blackout

HOPE (V.O.)

Please stop. Please. No more.


	6. Charity

Chenalos presents

A 14 rivers play for the screen

Based upon Puella Magi Madoka Magica

The Magic of Hope

Episode 5: Charity

mail Chenalos at yahoo dot com

twitter at ChenalosFiction

Teaser

Savagely, Ferociously Prudence slashes at the remains of the Elsa Maria witch. She kneels down and puts her hand through the muck of what remains. A medium shot at low height shows that she has lost connection with reality. She finds a pulsating mass within the remains and clears the viscera away from it before lifting a sword high and plunging it downward into the meat of the heart. The body screams and evaporates and the labyrinth vanishes. A grief seed hovers before Prudence on her knees with her sword plunged into the concrete in the halo of the street light. Prudence's wounds heal and she wipes the dry blood across her skin. She stands, shatters out of her Puella form, catches her breath and takes the seed. She holds it up where Charity can see.

PRUDENCE

You said you wanted this? Here.

She tosses the seed to Charity who takes it but has little reaction.

PRUDENCE (CTD)

Hope. Why don't you stay home

And not tag along? You're putting

Yourself in danger, and well, I won't

Lie you are totally useless to me.

She walks past Hope indifferently, Hope is devastated.

PRUDENCE

Amani. It's like I'm not even

Here isn't it? What the hell

Keeps a machine like you

ticking? Well enough about me,

ladies. It's past our bedtime.

The night will go on and on.

Prudence walks away into the darkness. Charity watches clearly distraught. She thinks inwardly to herself for a moment. Then she looks up.

TITLE

CHARITY

Intro

Act 1

Classroom, Ms Perry is teaching class. Hope looks over to her empty chiar.

School lets out and Hope exits looking off distantly wondering what Prudence is doing with her new existence.

Overlook. Charity and Amani looking out over the bay. Charity is eating corn on the cob.

AMANI

It comes in from there. Riding

On a storm. The Façade of

Walpurginacht is durable but I

Have a plan to break it open.

Remember these are familiars

That are trying to incarnate

A witch. They've already made

Preparations you'd expect, so

Once we get inside there will be

A Labyrinth layer. Below

That is the core.

CHARITY

What's the core look like?

AMANI

I don't know but it will be trying

to manifest a Grief seed. When it

fails the karmic energy will

release itself most likely in the

form of an Earthquake. There will

also be flooding.

CHARITY

Sounds serious.

AMANI

Apocalyptic.

CHARITY

That's a lot of intel for just

One girl. If it does come I'm

sure it'll look spectacular.

AMANI

You know how to open up the

Limiters, right?

CHARITY

You figured out about the

limiters, Huh?

AMANI

Yeah. The angel makes sure to not

Talk about it because he wants

Only strong Puella to exploit the

Added energy.

CHARITY

I can open them but I never figured

Out what they are. How do they work?

AMANI

Once a Puella has maximized energy

They break through to a higher level

Within the soul gem. I could tell

about where the energy comes from.

Higher dimensional geometry and the

Riemann tensor but why bore you?

CHARITY

Twice as bright half as long.

If we open up our limiters we are

Going to burn out fast. You have the

grief seeds? You might need five

just to come out alive no matter how

you strive to not take a dive

do you catch my jive?

AMANI

Stop that. As for grief seeds

I can't store them in my shield

But I do have enough on hand.

We have everything we need-

Consanguinity permitting.

CHARITY

OK, looks good. Fight of the

Century. The only thing I'm

Worried about is Prudence.

PRUDENCE

What for?

Prudence approaches the two.

AMANI

You're very late.

PRUDENCE

Late for what?

CHARITY

Walpurgisnacht. Our plan.

PRUDENCE

I came by here because there's

something I needed to see.

CHARITY

Really?

Prudence walks up to the overlook and points down the slope to a walkway. Will and Amity are holding hands.

PRUDENCE

Look down there. It's a young

Couple in love. They will find

Out more and more about each

other every day. They'll look

Into each other's eyes. They'll

Talk for hours. They'll hold

One another tight and one will

Dream of the other.

AMANI

You are trying to sidetrack this

Meeting?

CHARITY  
Yeah what's with the poetry?

Prudence with a defiant smile turns to look down at the two again. Will and Amity kiss.

PRUDENCE

Look at that! Look! I mean did

You see that, girls? I happen

To know for a fact that what

We just saw is that boy's

Second kiss ever! Of course

He doesn't remember the first

because he was two years old.

His parents just told him about

It and he brings it up every

So often to brag or something.

I don't understand boys. But

What's to get? My point is

That you two are wrong. There's

Something bigger than us and it's

Not the witch on the horizon. Our

job is to protect people no matter

what. I don't care for your plan

or grief seeds, labyrinths or

familiars or even common criminals

if I see a threat to the innocent

I will fight it. I see two people

in love and I know there is good

greater than us.

Prudence walks away broken and defiant. Charity tosses her cob in a trash can and picks up her book bag to run over to Prudence.

CHARITY

Wait up, Prudence. I want to

Talk.

PRUDENCE

Say what you want.

CHARITY

Not here. Let's go on a trip.

PRUDENCE

What?

CHARITY

Come on!

Charity takes Prudence away. Travel montage of a train and bus. Establishing shot of a different town, a road leading to the country side and a huge compound of a building bare and beige faced with wear setting in at the corners and shattered glass fronts. Prudence and Charity make their way in through the broken glass door. Signs on the entrance warn not to enter. The girls walk down a hall illuminated by the red glow of Charity's soul gem.

CHARITY

Not much further. It's at the

End of this hall.

PRUDENCE

What? Is there a witch here?

CHARITY

Not yet, no. But keep your

Eyes open.

The girls go through another door and into the arena of a huge amphitheater which wraps around a central stage like a stadium. The grim sight is dimly lit by some light allowed to peek in from skylights with shutters left open. Charity stands behind a seat on the stage. One of four.

CHARITY

Sit in this seat here.

Prudence sits and Charity comes around to sit next to her.

PRUDENCE

What is this place?

CHARITY

It's my first time back since

that one night. The shutters

were left open on the skylights.

The idea was that after the

service you open them up and

natural light pours in. Even on

cloudy days If you dimmed the

inside enough it made the same

effect. He made sure to end

the service at noon or there

about so the light Hits the

stage dead on. Redeeming light

was his idea. My Sister used

to sit there. This was my seat.

Mom would be next to me and dad

on the other end. Dad was a

good man.

Charity hands Prudence an apple from her bag. Prudence chucks the apple away. Charity smashes Prudence so hard that she is upturned over backwards in her chair and rolls to the floor. Charity rises goes to the apple picks it up angrily and returns to set the chair back up again.

PRUDENCE

I don't feel pain any more,

Charity. You're wasting

Your time.

Charity gets Prudence on her feet, then sits her back in the chair. She resets the apple on Prudence's lap.

CHARITY

Don't waste food.

Prudence blithely loosens her neck from the blow.

PRUDENCE

Where are we?

CHARITY

My wish created this place.

PRUDENCE

That doesn't answer the question.

Charity stands and looks Prudence dead in the eye.

CHARITY

We are inside of my wish. Take

A look around. This is what the

Wishes mean. This is what they

Come to. 45 acers, Stadium

Seating, Two Recording studios.

A pool, three Basketball courts,

weight room, Track, library,

fountain, climbing Wall, TV

studio, Radio and Pod-Casting,

day care, lodging for Fifty,

kitchens, dining rooms,

Classrooms, football, soccer,

Tennis and a baseball field.

All of it Gone. This was the

'Redeeming Light' megachurch.

It had church Seating for 5,000

but we usually had three.

Thousand. Not just Three.

Three thousand.

PRUDENCE

Want to talk about it? Talk even

More about it?

CHARITY

I believe in some crazy things.

I believe in witches and spells,

Familiars, labyrinths and wishes

Coming true. You know why?

Because I've seen them! I've seen

them with my own eyes. I'm just

That type of person. Unless I

See it I am utterly incapable

Of believing in it. Daddy was a

Pastor. He would talk on and on

About things I'd never seen. God,

angels, demons, sin, miracles.

I never told him but no matter

What I said or what smile I put

On my face I never - never

Believed him.

PRUDENCE

OK. How does that get us here?

Charity sets down her soul gem and it projects up a hologram of Charity in Rags surrounded by foreigners.

CHARITY.

This place did not exist before

My wish. Dad was a missionary

First. We would travel to far

Off lands spreading quote the

Lord's good word unquote.

The hologram changes to bowls with meager broth in them. The hologram of Charity lifts and drinks the broth gratefully.

CHARITY (CTD)

We would see poverty. We would

Live in poverty with people who

Had nothing, teaching ourselves

To be grateful for whatever we had.

The hologram changes to a broken down-looking house. Charity walks outside of it in barely more than rags.

CHARITY (CTD)

We had nothing in America,

Either. Some achieve poverty

Others have poverty thrust

Upon them. There was barely

Anything to eat, ever. We were

Told to embrace being poor. To

Understand suffering by sharing

In it. Why? God said so.

We were poor all because of

Something I don't believe in

That I had to tell everybody

Was the greatest thing in the

Whole wide world. It drove me

crazy.

She stands up and stands next to the image. The broken-down image of Charity contrasts with the sleek, rebellious punk rock girl. The hologram switches to a black outline of Arvess.

CHARITY (CTD)

That's when he came. A real

Life angel. He gives me the

Offer. What do I wish for?

I wished for my dad to be

Wealthy, successful and that

He not believe in things he

Didn't know were true or not.

And just like that-

Charity snaps her fingers and the megachurch is reborn, thousands sit in the seats, they all cheer in a roar around the girl. Charity stands and paces the end of the stage. Speaks out to the crowd like a preacher and her voice comes overhead as though it is mic'd she gestures as though impersonating a stadium preacher.

CHARITY (CTD)

I was in the biggest

Amphitheater for a hundred miles

around. With my whole family

together leading services.

The crowd cheers.

CHARITY (CTD)

Dad still did preach that book

Of his, but hell, what did I care?

My father lead the largest

Congregation in the state.

The crowd cheers yet again.

CHARITY (CTD)

How "Blessed" was I? How

"Redeemed" was I? It was real.

I had the best food, best house

Best clothes, best family that

Anyone could ever ask for.

Again the crowd cheers.

CHARITY (CTD)

And all it cost me…

(She snaps her fingers)

The crowd vanishes and is replaced by low droning witches surrounding the stage.

CHARITY (CTD)

Was having to go out into the

dark terrified and alone to

fight phantom monsters. But

that wasn't the worst part.

The worst was when Dad found

out.

The hologram vanishes. Charity becomes quiet and reflective moving back to sit next to prudence.

CHARITY (CTD)

I told my little sister I was

Going to play a videogame. She

Was drawing something and said

'OK goodnight.' Didn't even look

Up. But I didn't look back either.

That was the last time I saw her.

I went down the hall to a game room

In the church. I was playing DoA.

Then I heard loud noises back down

the hall.

A hologram appears of a gun a whiskey bottle and a Jerry can. The bottle tumbles to the floor. The gun fires shots and the jerry can dump on the floor before it drop. Charity rises again.

CHARITY (CTD)

All I could smell was gasoline

and Gunpowder.

The gun points at Charity and she swiftly lunges her spear. The Gun Falls.

CHARITY (CTD)

When he aimed it at me I Speared him.

Didn't even think about it. My

father stood and he looked me in the

eyes. Looked like this.

Charity stands in front of them and looks at Prudence in the seat. Charity clears her throat and lowers her voice.

CHARITY (CTD)

What do you do at night? Where

Do you go when you turn into

That thing in the red dress?

Are you a witch? Is that it?

You know my terrible secret

Don't you, Charity? You know I

Don't believe in any of this

Nonsense that I spout every

Sunday. Are you going to punish

me for lying to those thousands

of people? Forgive me Charity!

I did want it to be true, I did!

They stare at one another a moment. Charity turns and sits on the stage edge facing away from Prudence. Charity raises her hand and a red flame appears above it.

CHARITY (CTD)

He sparked up a red road flare.

That bright bloody flame like a

Dragon but with thin gray smoke.

He looked like the statue of

Liberty. Then he dropped it.

I can't tell you what that

Felt like. WHOOOM!

Charity tosses the flame and it bursts in a ring of fire that washes over the girls.

CHARITY (CTD)

The whole room. Just a blast of fire

and that heat. I didn't look back.

The fired dies away and the girls are in the dimly lit church once more as they had entered.

CHARITY

It destroyed the north half of the

church. Hundreds of thousands in

damages with no one to pay. Devout

preacher murders his family. No

pastor, no building. No one was

going to save this place. Anyway,

I was gone. The church assumed I

Was dead. So I teamed up with Joy

for a while. But that didn't last

because – That's not what this story

is about. This is about Dad, a good

man. My wish put him in the skin

of a liar. This whole place is a

lie. This whole lie is a wish.

This wish is the world I thought

wanted. So why aren't I happy?

Prudence stirs in her chair.

PRUDENCE

What's the point then?

Charity turns inquisitively.

CHARITY

Point?

PRUDENCE

Yeah. Why are you telling me

this? The. Point.

CHARITY

I listen to punk rock and I read

philosophy. My books haven't

figured anything out and my music

sings 'fuck it all anyway.' I'm

never going to get to the point.

I want you to just see that

there's no light. There's no

redemption. One has to assert what

one wants in this world and you

aren't doing it. Life itself is an

act of rebellion and no one rebels

on your behalf.

PRUDENCE

God, what a terrible way to live.

You clearly don't know anything

about me

Charity gets up, dusts herself off and faces Prudence.

CHARITY

I know you made a wish. That means

you had a dream.

PRUDENCE

Yeah? So what if I did?

CHARITY

Dreams let you exist without

confronting the reality of it.

If you think a dream is reality you

wake up. If you think reality is a

dream you suffer.

PRUDENCE

So what then?

CHARITY

Forget justice, Prudence. What you

need is freedom. Let me teach you

how to survive. How to put the wish

behind you. If Walpurgisnacht is

coming I'm not going anywhere near

it. I've Got my own problems not to

worry about shores of sinners washed

away. Let's, you and me, get out of

here. Don't look back. We'll leave

our towns in the past. Figure the

world out on its terms, not our

little fantasies…That Break in the

light of day.

Prudence shakes her head, then nods, waiting, thinking. She's looking for an excuse to say no. To deny that wishes are meaningless and dreams aren't worth embracing. She looks at the apple and holds it up.

PRUDENCE

Where did you get this apple?

CHARITY

The apple?

PRUDENCE

I'm holding it aren't I? How

Did you get this apple?

They stare still at one another. Prudence stands, puts the apple in Charity's hand.

PRUDENCE (CTD)

You made your father as

Greedy as you are. Well done.

Now all you're ever going to

Care about is your next meal.

Just survive. May you live

forever. Who will you eat

next? Who will be left to

mourn you?

CHARITY

Are you going to take this

Seriously Prudence?

PRUDENCE

If your goal of bringing me

Out here was so I would pity

You, you've done well. But I

Won't break bread with you if

that bread is stolen. You're

wrong about dreams, you know.

We've got to go on dreaming,

Charity. Or tomorrow never

comes.

Prudence walks away and through a sneer Charity eats the apple, her eyes trained on Prudence as she leaves. She puts in her headphones and plays (E1) "Jesus wants me for a sunbeam" by The Vaselines. Close up of Charity trying to eat and lose herself in music. Prudence walks away from the church alone. As she walks away she looks at the ring which seals her fate. Inside Charity chucks the apple core and grabs her Bag. She leaves the amphitheater and goes for a stairwell. She opens the door to the roof and the exterior expanse of the building reveals it's burnt out back side. Prudence leaves town on a train and the song lingers as Prudence lays her head against the glass of the train watching the sun set. She reflects on the terrible result of Charity's wish. The megachurch is seen in the fading light as she rides the train away. Charity, framed by the setting sun sits atop the ruins of the megachurch looking at the horizon alone.

ACT 2

Handheld wide angle of Hope DelSoro wandering a street, trying to put on a strong face to passersby as she struggles. The frame and hand motion leaves the impression that she is being watched. She's looking up and around, looking for Prudence who has been missing for nearly a week. Walpurgisnacht arrives in five days.

From a car, Hastor is watching Hope go about her day. A gun is put to her head from the back seat. It's a Ruger SR9c. Hastor turns to look at the gun, then looks at the one holding it. It's Amani.

AMANI

Hello, detective Hastor. Look

forward keeping your hands on

the wheel and make no sudden

movements.

HASTOR

You're assaulting an officer

With a gun.

AMANI

I don't think you're an officer

Right now.

HASTOR

That's a crazy idea. You want

To see my badge?

AMANI

Hands on the wheel.

HASTOR

You're a kid. Why are you doing

This?

AMANI

Not your concern. I want to know

Why you are doing this. Why are

You trailing Hope DelSoro?

HASTOR

I showed that black ball of yours

To your class. She was the only

One to react. My only lead so I

thought I might cross paths with

You if I tailed her. Was I wrong?

AMANI

You are low on my priority list

Detective Hastor. That list is

Honestly terrifying but I deal

With every item and I don't

hesitate. This will be your

only warning. I don't want

to shift my attention to an

ambitious police officer.

HASTOR

Right now our top intelligence

agencies are after you. It's best

if you turn yourself in. You can't

run from them.

AMANI

They haven't bothered me yet.

You have. They want the bomb

don't they? Not you. What do you

want?

HASTOR

I want the collar. I'm gonna bring

You in. I know you didn't come here

To kill me, so why don't we drive to

The precinct?

AMANI

Not kill you? Are you sure?

HASTOR

The gun you're using has a chamber

Indicator. It's down. Not loaded.

AMANI

Detective.

HASTOR

Well, since this conversation is

Over let's take a ride.

Amani puts the gun away.

AMANI

Before we do I'm just thinking

About auto parts.

HASTOR

You mean the car you stole?

AMANI

No. This car. I mean to replace

Four tires at about three hundred

Bucks each. That means stalking

Is going to cost you twelve hundred

Dollars. Good bye.

HASTOR

What?

Amani disappears and the car suddenly drops about three inches down, jostling Hastor. Hastor gets out. The car's tires have been slashed. Hastor pounds the hood of the car angrily.

Hope goes to a park, by a fountain. She waits there until the sun sets. When darkness covers the city she closes her eyes and a sound audibly resonates in her ears. She walks off into the night and ends up at the entrance to a park. A shadowy grief seed smolders in a glade of trees. Hope waits on the nearby path. She sees an approaching hazy blue light. Prudence holding her soul gem walks down the path toward her. Prudence is unflinching, almost mechanical.

HOPE  
Hi, Prudence.

PRUDENCE

Hello, Hope. I gotta kill this

Witch real quick.

HOPE

Can we talk when you get back?

PRUDENCE

Sure.

Prudence transforms and dives into the seed. Hope goes back to sitting and there are shots of the night time scenery to indicate the passage of time.

A flash of blue light and Prudence re-appears as the shadow fades and the grief seed falls to the ground. Prudence reverts and makes her way to sit next to Hope without picking up the seed.

PRUDENCE

Never seen one like that. I was

In a cotton field, and the cotton

Would rise off the plants and into

The sky and they'd turn into rain

Clouds. There was rain all around

Me to the horizon but not above me.

Just a clear blue sky and a brilliant

sun. With the clouds of cotton just

Swirling up and away. She was like

A rainbow wearing a waterfall. The

Colors bubbled up to her skin and

Spread over while her watery dress

Flowed up and down her body as she

Walked. Strolling aside me in the

Field I was waiting for her attack.

She sat down and just looked at me.

Not an ounce of fight. Just looked

at me right in the eyes while I cut

her to pieces.

Prudence takes a reflective pause.

PRUDENCE (CTD)

I wish they could all be that easy.

HOPE

You didn't come to school again

Today.

PRUDENCE

Yeah. I dropped out, but I've

Got a job. Things are going

Just fine. You knew I would

Come here.

HOPE

Either you or Charity. Maybe

Amani.

PRUDENCE  
Charity left town. You won't

See her again. As for Amani

You can't depend on her to

Help anyone. Me? I got what I

Wanted. I'm defending this

City in return, and I'm doing a

Damn good job of it.

HOPE

Will's worried about you.

PRUDENCE

Is he back to playing violin?

HOPE

Yes. He never stopped.

PRUDENCE

That's right I forgot. Yeah.

Then he doesn't have to worry.

I'm happy for him. Is Amity,

Is she-

HOPE

We don't have to talk about her.

PRUDENCE

That's a good idea.

HOPE

I think you should come back,

Prudence.

PRUDENCE

You got here before me with this

crazy predictability for where

witches are. How about a little

help? You up for that? Where's

the nearest witch?

HOPE

There are none really nearby.

There's a familiar in a parking

Garage down this road over here

Other than that it's quiet.

PRUDENCE  
Oh, a Familiar, huh? So you know

These things, you have monsters

Just popping up all over the place

And you just sit here on your ass

On the sideline? Is that your

plan, Hope? Really? You're just

not in the game? Go on, tell me.

You just don't care. You have

more ability than anyone but you

let me and people like me do all

the damn work. Just say it.

Just say it. You don't care.

HOPE

I don't know what to wish for.

PRUDENCE

That's what stopping you? I took a

trip with Charity and she taught me

the wish doesn't mean anything. You

Create for yourself a little sliver

Of something like happiness with a

sea of magic and you get the same

amount of suffering for it. The wish

is meaningless. Just make one and get

into the fight already. Face some

real consequences for once. Unless

you're just too much of a goddamn

coward. If that's so, then just

let it all go and walk away.

Prudence walks away.

HOPE

Prudence, you didn't get the seed.

She turns barking angry.

PRUDENCE

You think just like the rest of them!

Like I need to be rewarded for what

I'm doing. Use these seeds. Here's

Your pay. Well done. Go and kill

Another one for the little seed. I

Know what I'm doing and unlike the

Others I know why I'm doing it. I am

Helping not because I'm being rewarded

not so people would think I'm good

I'm doing it because it's the right thing to do.

I thought you would understand that.

Prudence becomes quiet and serious.

PRUDENCE(CTD)

But you can't understand anything

If you don't have one of these.

She gestures to the ring on her finger with the hazy blue stone glowing faintly.

PRUDENCE (CTD)

Don't talk to me again unless you

Are a puella yourself. It's time

To get serious.

Prudence walks away. Hope buries her head in her hands.

This next segment should be a little bit looney tunes for some levity. A little watercolor bobcat in a top hat jumps from car to car in a parking garage. It looks through the cars curiously and hops from hood to hood. It jumps on one car and looks into an oblate corner mirror to appreciate itself. A blue flashing blur races past it, knocking it off the car's hood. The cat lands with a roll and then jumps to its feet. It starts hopping to look in all directions as to where the attack came from. Down the lane of the parking garage Prudence steps out and the scene looks like a surreal spaghetti western for a moment. Prudence raises her sword and points at the familiar and the familiar stands upright, squares its top hat and bears its cartoonish long claws. The two stare each other down while the wind blows. A car pulls up to the exit far below and the man puts gives the ticket and money to the gate man. The gate opens with a 'buzz.' At this Prudence and the familiar both charge and the two strike at nearly the same time and the top hat of the bobcat goes flying off. When it lands on the ground the frozen bobcat falls over and vanishes along with his hat. The gate closes with a 'bing.' Prudence's sword vanishes and she walks to the exit where Amani emerges.

AMANI

You are wasting your energy.

PRUDENCE

Wasting?

AMANI

You won't be able to keep this up.

PRUDENCE

That's not true. I'm rich beyond

my wildest worth.

Amani throws the Grief seed to her and it rests needle up on the ground.

AMANI

This is your kill. You left it.

Prudence kicks the grief seed away.

PRUDENCE

Is that all?

AMANI

You aren't obeying your

Obligations. Fight witches.

Take their seeds. Don't waste

Time with familiars. Cleanse

Your soul gem.

PRUDENCE

Oh, so judicious.

AMANI

I'm not being judgmental here.

Just think about what I'm saying.

Aren't I honestly trying to help

You survive?

PRUDENCE

Oh you're trying to help me but

not honestly. You want Something

but you don't care about anything.

Thinking about you gives me a

headache. Luckily I don't really

feel pain anymore. I just kind of

know it's there. Like my old report

cards in a filing cabinet.

AMANI

You opened up your endurance

Limiters. You must feel no pain

Even when you use a grief seed.

PRUDENCE

If I used them. Doesn't matter

To me if I do or don't so I don't.

AMANI

Then you haven't got much time

Left.

PRUDENCE

So what? Arvess will find a

Replacement.

AMANI

You're going to die.

PRUDENCE

You know, maybe that's justice.

If you truly believe in it then

eventually it comes for you too…

And that's alright. At least

I'll rest with my work done.

Amani suddenly raises her voice.

AMANI

No you won't. There is no rest.

Not least for me. I saw what you

Just did. You tried to trick her into

making the contract.

PRUDENCE

She wants to hang out like a puppy?

Well we are hunting dogs! So really

I just want her to go away or join

The fight. That's not unfair. She

Should either get in the game or get

out. I don't want to hang around

someone who's always on the fence

about everything. Hell I told her to

leave all this alone. You should be

thanking me.

Amani pulls a baretta pistol and quiets once more.

AMANI

My patience is done.

You're a threat to our safety.

This is your last chance to get it together

and it's not a debate, I'm actually going to end you.

It won't even be quick it will be over.

PRUDENCE

That so? I knew this would happen

one way or another. OK. Here I come.

Prudence winds up in her stance and does draw a sword.

AMANI

A rich, ugly old maid courted by

Incapacity. I can't believe I tell

myself that you might change.

Amani cocks the hammer and aims.

AMANI (CTD)

Goodbye, Prudence.

Suddenly Charity's chain spear wraps around Amani and Charity tackles her to the ground.

CHARITY

Get out of here. Move!

Prudence doesn't run. She shakes her head and staggers away.

AMANI

Let me go.

CHARITY

Why? So you can do your little

Disappearing act? Does it work

When someone's got a hold on you?

You tried to trick me, kill her and

You're shadowing that other girl too.

You want to explain yourself?

You've got ten seconds.

Out of view Amani has pulled a grenade. She raises the grenade into sight. Charity realizes what it is when Amani pulls the pin out with her teeth and spits it away.

AMANI

Five seconds.

Amani releases the spoon which flips away into the background. It hits the pavement with a clang. Charity undoes her spear and leaps away to hide behind a concrete divide. Amani holds the grenade defiantly then disappears. The grenade is suspended in midair when it explodes. Fire and smoke emerges from the level of the parking garage.

Hope is in the park by the fountain where she was before when she hears the blast. She's startled by it. Arvess appears.

ARVESS

The puella are fighting one another.

HOPE

It seems so unfair. The first

Thing Joy ever said to us was that

Puella are all on the same side.

ARVESS

You may have realized by now but

Puella like Joy are the exception

Not the rule.

HOPE

I don't understand why all this has

To be done between girls that

Should share each other's burdens.

If there were some other way…

ARVESS

I can grant that wish right now

If you want it.

HOPE

What would it do?

ARVESS

Create a new reality where

Puella don't suffer like this.

HOPE

So they'll never fight again?

ARVESS

I'm certain your wish can do it.

I've already told this to Prudence

But the power of Puella is gained

By their resonance with the Cleoneum

An enormous soul gem that constructs an

Undying country for us to live in.

The most powerful soul gem of them all.

Still, strong as it, is the Celoneum has less

resonance than your potential.

HOPE

What? That doesn't make any sense.

ARVESS

I know. But there is no other

explanation. When you make your wish

not only will you re-align The

universe to your will but you will

exist after it as something Like a

god. Nothing will be beyond your

power. You can wipe out sadness And

conflict. You can establish peace

for everyone. Even Prudence.

HOPE

If that's the power I have then

I think she was right. I need

To get in this game and make a

Difference. Not just for myself

But To help the puella and end

This Suffering. It's time for me

To make a wish Arvess.

ARVESS

Very well.

HOPE

I wish-

Vingette still of Hope, Arvess and the water of the fountain all frozen in time. Amity's reflection is in the water again.

A clip full of bullets all seemingly fired at once rip through the body of the Angel Arvess. It falls on the ground in a bloody mess. Amani drops the baretta as she stands ten feet away from Arvess behind Hope.

HOPE

Amani! What are you doing?

That was terrible!

AMANI

Why do you keep on with this?

Don't you understand what you

will lose?

HOPE

What? What are you saying?

I know you're all in pain. Wouldn't

you rather have someone take it all away?

I can do that.

Amani, in tears takes Hope by the shoulders, and cries at her.

AMANI

You always try to solve things

Yourself. You don't have to

Save everyone! Just let

Everything be. I'll make sure

it will work this time.

HOPE

This time…

Amani pulls back covering her mouth. Suddenly Hope is flooded with strange memories of Amani not as the implacable destructive fearsome puella but as a geeky girl with scared eyes.

HOPE (CTD)

Have we met before?

Amani falls to her knees on the cement.

AMANI

Oh, no. No. No. No. No. No.

No. No.

Hope stands to walk to Amani. She hears the voice of Prudence crying out. Hope looks out into the night.

HOPE

Prudence is in trouble, isn't

She?

AMANI

No, Hope! Don't!

HOPE

She needs me and even if I'm

Just as I am I have to try

To help her.

AMANI

It's too late for that! By

Now she's already-

HOPE

Amani, I have to go.

AMANI

Don't Hope. Come back. Stop!

Don't go! It's too late!

Hope leaves. Unable to compose herself Amani weeps alone.

ARVESS

Ley line time magic, huh?

Amani's tear swept eyes become sharpened and aware. She looks up and a new Arvess appears. The angel absorbs the previous fallen body before floating above the seat where Hope was once sitting.

ARVESS (CTD)

The first time you killed me I

Had a hint that was your power.

I assumed that you must have

Arisen from some ley line that

Extended beyond the current

Bounds but now to know that you

Are emulating Cleoneum technology

On your own soul gem. I've never

Seen it before. Could you tell

Me about your time manipulation?

Is it free flowing, are there

Limiter points, can you revert?

AMANI

You don't need to know anything

About me. In four days you'll

Never see me again.

ARVESS

Or maybe we'll keep running into

Each other. That's the thing

About karma. It just keeps coming back.

AMANI

I know what your position is and

What you do. The millions of

Lives you build your world

Upon. But Hope DelSoro will not

be another layer of mortar in your

foundation. I will deny you,

Harvester!

The girl and the angel stare one another down.

Train. Exhausted, Prudence is slumped over to one side. Max and Gil are on board the same car.

MAX

I can't take this bitch any more

Man. I just can't fucking do it.

GIL

I thought you dumped her ass

Last month.

MAX

Yeah. I thought I did to. She

Can't take a fucking hint. Like

I'm not a violent man, but I

Swear sometimes I feel like I'd

Have to hit her upside the head

To get it to sink in.

GIL

I warned you about her. Don't

Look at me.

MAX  
Some bitches just need the law

Laid down on them. I know what

Women are all about. She can talk

All about her feelings and soul

Mate shit and next thing you know

She's after my bank account and

Is growing a five pound boat

Anchor in her belly for me

To get chained to.

GIL

Can't be dealing with that.

MAX

I mean look at me. Twenty five

Pulling 52K. I got all the time

And money on my hands that I ever

Wanted and now rather than enjoying

Myself I've got to fend her off

At my bar, my restaurant, my café.

I swear she's cock-blocked me at

Least three times.

GIL

You got to watch that, man. She's

Regulating your pants she might

Be working hers. You know what I

mean? Might do you just once then

dive into ten other dudes just to

get that little red stripe to come

out of her piss.

MAX

Yeah and guess what? Fucking too

Late.

GIL

Aw, shit.

MAX

I thought it'd be breakup sex and

she'd get the hint. Nope. Shit.

Is she pregnant? I don't know.

All I know is it gives her an excuse.

I fucked up. I got all the goddamn

luck don't I?

Prudence leans up

PRUDENCE

Hey.

MAX & GILL

Huh?

PRUDENCE

Yeah. I'm talking to you guys.

MAX

Need anything, Kid? You don't

Look too good.

Prudence stands opposite Max.

PRUDENCE

Did you tell that girl you loved her?

MAX

What?

PRUDENCE

Did you ever look at her and

say 'I love you?'

MAX

Kid, this isn't your business.

PRUDENCE  
I'm just saying you might mean

Something to her for a reason.

You might give her something

That no one else can. Can you

At least hear her side of it?

MAX

OK, you know what? This isn't

high school, OK? This is adult

stuff.

Prudence draws a sword to Max's face.

PRUDENCE  
You don't know what you mean to

that girl. She's probably thinking

about you right now. If she only

knew how you were talking about her.

Offered love and you've given spite.

People like you make me wonder. 'Why

did I do this to myself? Why do I

Go on? What greater good is there

that still allows this?' Can you tell me?

I kind of need to know.

Max tries to move to the side, as the train stops. Suddenly the world around Prudence becomes distorted. She looks around to see the train is starting to look like a witches Labyrinth. Orchestral music echoes down a corridor, and Prudence is drawn to it.

MAX

Put that away.

Max flinches and Prudence cuts his cheek. At the sight of the blood the world returns to normal for her.

PRUDENCE

It's no use talking to you.

The doors open.

ANNOUNCEMENT

Exit is on the right. Please watch

your step.

PRUDENCE

This is my stop. I went far enough.

Prudence walks off the train. The doors close and the Men try to treat the cut on Max's cheek as the train pulls away and Prudence sits at a bench in the station. She picks up her cell phone and calls.

PRUDENCE

Hello, Amity? Yeah. It's me

Prudence. I've been in love

With that boy for as long as

I can remember. He means the

World to me and the only thing

That could make me hate you

More than I do is if you ever

hurt him. OK, that's how I

really feel. Take good care

of my love.

She hangs up and tosses her cell phone.

Charity enters.

CHARITY

Prudence!

Charity runs up to sit next to her.

PRUDENCE

Welcome back to town.

CHARITY

Well…You know. Where was I

Supposed to go?

PRUDENCE

Anywhere you wanted to.

And here you are.

Charity catches her breath and opens up a tube of off-brand pringles.

PRUDENCE (CTD)

You quote mine philosophers to

Sound smarter than you really are.

CHARITY

Is that what you think of me?

PRUDENCE  
I'm not the one who said it.

CHARITY

Oh.

PRUDENCE  
What do you really believe?

CHARITY

What do you mean?

PRUDENCE

Think about it. How is it

Any different quoting dead

Philosophers than dead

Prophets?

CHARITY

I'm not- I'm not getting it

Prudence.

PRUDENCE

You were raised in Religion but

You don't believe in god. So you

Built a new bible of godless writers,

and you memorized verses. Do you just

think what they think? Do you just

believe what they say? I don't see

that as any different from making

up a god. What inspires you

Personally? What is your philosophy,

your personal meaning of life?

What gives you the strength?

CHARITY

Strength is the problem.

PRUDENCE

What?

Charity breathes in a sigh and lets it go with satisfied resignation.

CHARITY

Spiders. I'm inspired by spiders.

PRUDENCE

You're not inspired, you're in-spidered?

CHARITY

Lame.

PRUDENCE

Spiders? Yuck. Why them? Do you

feel like you're hanging from a thread?

CHARITY

The spider lives in a hard shell for

A skin. Exoskeleton. It grows inside

of this shell. The skin doesn't grow

With the inside, it's too strong.

The inside must grow, the outside forbids growth.

The spider is trapped inside itself.

PRUDENCE

Trapped?

CHARITY

Strength is good and it makes you

tough. But like the spider, you get

trapped inside yourself.

PRUDENCE

And then what?

CHARITY

The spider must emerge from its skin,

weak and fragile and exhausted. But

it has to grow. It has to live on.

It has to toughen up again. The

whole process starts all over. A

spider constantly emerges from itself

in order to keep living.

PRUDENCE

You're like that?

CHARITY

We're all like that. Everyone.

The two go quiet for a moment of consideration. Charity goes back to eating chips.

PRUDENCE

Spiders eat each other you know.

CHARITY

Yeah. I know.

Charity looks away.

PRUDENCE

I heard you like punk rock?

CHARITY

Yeah. It's freeing.

PRUDENCE

What's your favorite song?

CHARITY

Huh?

PRUDENCE

Tell me your favorite song.

Charity puts down the snacks.

CHARITY

Oh. It's uhh…All Apologies.

All Apologies by Nirvana.

PRUDENCE

Oh, I know that song.

CHARITY

You have to hear the whole

Album to get it, though. In

Utero is this angry flailing

Relentless geyser of indifference

self-doubt, self-loathing and

abandonment. You go through

loving it but all the while with

this feeling like when will it end?

Then the very last song. With

beauty and tenderness…

PRUDENCE

All in all is all we are.

All in all is all we are.

PRUDENCE (LOW) & CHARITY (HIGH)

All in all is all we are.

All in all is all we are.

All in all is all we are.

All in all is all we are.

CHARITY

All in-

PRUDENCE

Sorry. That's the only part I know.

CHARITY

It was good.

The two laugh and then share a quiet moment together. Prudence then lifts up her soul gem, which is tainted, darkened, hazy, cracking.

PRUDENCE

Well we both know what happens now.

CHARITY

Whoa! Prudence! What have

You been doing?

PRUDENCE

My job.

CHARITY

We need to cleanse it fast!

PRUDENCE

Too late. It's already begun to shatter.

(E2) Asphalt Grey's version of Gnossienne No.1 begins to play

CHARITY

We don't know that-

PRUDENCE  
All the same. This is how I want

it. This was your original plan

right? What you've been doing

since you stopped working with Joy?

Fighting puella, draining them,

Hoarding the grief seeds so they

Had nowhere to go? Killing Puella

so you'll have more to eat?

CHARITY

No. I was…

PRUDENCE

Charity, there's not much time

On this clock. Let's fill it with

The truth.

CHARITY

Yes, it's true! If there were any

Other way I'd do it. I just thought

of it like a competition. I won

they didn't. But for you…I get it

now. I don't want that. I want you

to keep going. Learn To survive.

PRUDENCE

You wanted to teach me the same

thing. Turn me into a predator.

The wishes we make give us miracles

And for as much as those miracles

Save us there is an equal amount of

Curses that destroy us.

CHARITY

Prudence. I don't want you to

Turn into one of those things.

PRUDENCE

You will too. That's the contract.

A tear falls from Prudence's eye and lands on the soul gem. Prudence looks at Charity one final time.

PRUDENCE(CTD)

The dawn will never come. All this

time. I've been such a fool

Prudence's Soul Gem shatters open her body goes limp. A maelstrom emerges blowing Prudence's body into Charity's arms.

CHARITY

Prudence!

The broken soul gem rises into the air and Charity watches it. The music swells to it's cacophony as the broken Soul Gem becomes a grief seed.

Arvess perches on the limb of a crane. He watches the emerging witch from above.

ARVESS

Well,

Since you become witches, It makes

Sense to call you magical girls.

Blackout

ACT 3

Charity Awakens, still with Prudence's body in her arms. Charity lays her hand on Prudence's face, mournfully.

CHARITY

I'm sorry, Prudence.

Charity looks up and the reverse reveals an enormous witch that was moments ago the blue-clad puella. A fantasticly large beached mermaid wearing armor on its top section. A helmet with three forged eye holes and a sword in each hand. The labyrinth is an amphitheater, much like the one from Charity's church. Charity looks up helpless at the witch. The name "Oktavia Von Sekendorff" appears written in runes. Consigned to her fate Charity holds the body tight. Vignette shots of the Witch, Charity and Charity's shoulder as Amani's hand comes down upon it. As soon as the hand makes contact the color of Charity warms and she can move immediately.

AMANI

What are you doing here?

She looks up at the terrible witch who is frozen in time.

CHARITY

What's happening

AMANI

I've got a time out running.

As long as you keep contact

With me you'll stay in my

Time flow.

CHARITY

Did you come to save me?

AMANI

No. I came to kill her.

CHARITY

We have to pull back.

AMANI

What?

CHARITY

I can't fight now. Let's

Pull back and we can regroup.

AMANI

We leave the seed now and it

Will migrate.

CHARITY

I know. Amani. I'll take

Care of it. Get me out of here.

A moment of thought passes before Amani takes Charity by the hand without losing touch with her.

AMANI

I've got you even if your

Hand slips. The exit is

Back this way.

Charity slings the body of Prudence over her shoulder and the pair run for the exit.

CHARITY

It's not much further, right?

AMANI

We'd get there faster if

you'd dump that dead weight.

CHARITY

I think it might come in handy.

I've got an idea, an experiment.

AMANI

Don't make me regret this.

CHARITY

No promises.

The pair emerge and are on the train tracks further down from the station. Hope jumps out of a taxi and approaches them. A shadow slithers into the night.

HOPE

Something terrible just happened

Here. There was a witch! It

came out of nowhere.

AMANI

It didn't come out of nowhere.

The witch is right here.

Charity lays Prudence's body on the side of the tracks. Hope races over and tries to stir her.

HOPE

Prudence! Prudence! Wake up.

There's a witch! We need your

Help. Prudence! Prudence!

CHARITY

She's not going to wake up.

She's gone.

HOPE

What? No. She can't be.

She was just down at the park

A few minutes ago.

AMANI

Her soul gem became too tainted.

It past the tipping point and

The Karma inverted. It's a

Grief seed now.

HOPE

You mean to tell me…

CHARITY

Prudence has become a witch.

HOPE

She's a- No. No. She fights

Witches. She protects people.

AMANI

All of those people are now

In danger, because she may

Curse them.

HOPE

You mean the witches are Puella?

All of them?

CHARITY

All of them. And it happens to

All of us eventually.

Hope rises only to stumble backwards.

HOPE

You never warned her. You never

Told her. Why didn't anyone

Stop her?

AMANI

It's not something we talk about.

CHARITY

We need new Puella to fight

The witches so you don't tell

potentials. If you've made

The wish it's better if you

Don't know. Once a Puella

Finds out there's no telling

What she'll do. She figured

It out just before it happened.

I should have come here sooner.

Hope approaches and weeps into the lifeless body of Prudence. Amani addresses Charity curtly.

AMANI

Pruden-the witch will probably re-

Appear somewhere tomorrow.

If you really want to help her

then do her a last favor.

Burn the witch then join me in

the fight. If you can't find her

forget about her. We are four

days from Walpurgisnacht.

CHARITY

I want to sort out some issues first.

AMANI

Bury that thing and make sure

No one finds it.

CHARITY

Hey. This girl just lost her

Friend. Prudence was one of us

and you want to just dump her in

a hole and move on? Are you even human?

Anxiously Amani runs her fingers through her plaited hair.

AMANI

Of course not. And neither are you.

Amani flares out her hair and walks away leaving Charity and Hope alone. Emotionally exhausted Hope comes to her feet and staggers away. Charity takes the body of Prudence and stuffs it into a drain near the tracks. She places her hand on Prudence's forehead and a magic sigil appears there.

Daybreak. Hope's home. She eats breakfast alone before anyone is awake and leaves while the house is apparently still empty. On the walk to school she notices several police officers. Wary and paranoid of the surveillance she walks with her eyes down and glancing. She gets to school before it opens and waits as the sun climbs higher and students arrive. Her eyes are down and mournful. She does not even acknowledge Amity and Will as they wave and pass her. Her ill attention is broken when Charity approaches and stands next to her.

CHARITY

Are you really going to bother

with school now?

HOPE

Where's Prudence?

CHARITY

That's what I came to tell

You about. You know where

The Cunningham Hotel is?

HOPE

Yeah.

CHARITY

Room 213. Be there in an hour.

Charity walks away.

Cunningham Hotel. Charity lines up bags of flour on a bed and wraps them together in bunches with cellophane. She completes the task and steps back to see the mummy she has made when a knock comes at the door. Charity opens the door and Hope is there.

CHARITY

Good. Come in. Come

In. Were you followed?

HOPE

I don't know, why?

CHARITY

There were a lot of five-oh

Around the school. I think

They're looking for Amani.

That should keep her out of

Our hair at least.

Hope walks in and sees the wrapping.

HOPE

What is this?

CHARITY

This is how I plan to save

Prudence.

HOPE

With flour?

CHARITY

Just stand back.

Charity places her hand on the mummy and a sigil appears, glowing hot red. Charity lifts her soul gem and a beam of light connects the gem to the sigil. An eerie red glow surrounds the mummy which intensifies.

CHARITY (CTD)

EEEEEEEEEEHYA!

A distortion ripples through the magical glow and suddenly a burst of flour flies into the room. The girls cough and let the flour settle. Prudence's body is now on the bed surrounded by ripped open flour packets.

HOPE

Prudence!

Hope runs over to her body and tries to awaken her. She is shocked to find the state of the still unconscious body.

HOPE(CTD)

She's still warm! How did

She even get here?

CHARITY

Her body is in some kind of

stasis. As for how she got

here, that's a little magic

trick I use to steal food,

and sometimes money. I can

perform a swap between

objects. Now I want to see

if I can swap between souls.

My plan is to put a sigil on

Prudence here.

She places her hand on Prudence's forehead where the emblem appears.

CHARITY(CTD)

And when we find the witch

I'll mark her too. If it

Works I should be able to

Put Prudence back into her

Body, and what's left of the

Witch should just be like a

Familiar. I kill it,

Prudence's magic disappears

And she's back to normal.

HOPE

We can do that?

CHARITY

Just like at the overpass she's knocked

out but she's not dead so I think she's

connected to the witch by body, but not mind.

Her form is still alive.

So is her soul. We're just

Putting them back together.

And dumping her magic onto

The witch. Normally the corpse

of a Puella vanishes in the

Labyrinth but I saved it. I'd

like to think I saved it for

something.

HOPE

You're willing to do all

This for her?

CHARITY

Don't ask me why, but yeah.

Hope kneels next to Prudence.

HOPE

Hang on, Prudence. We're

Going to rescue you.

She stands to face Charity and extends her hand.

HOPE (CTD)

It's nice to meet you. My

Name is Hope DelSoro.

Charity smirks and extends a bag of French toast sticks into her hand.

CHARITY

Never go anywhere on an empty

Stomach, Hope. My name's Charity.

She takes her hand back while snatching one of the sticks and putting it in her mouth. Hope gives her a reassuring smile.

The girls leave the Hotel and wander the city, Charity relying on Hope's direction sensing to find Prudence.

Abandoned Museum. Hope and Charity scan the area with Charity's soul gem beaming out. Charity snacks on grilled chicken skewers.

HOPE

You feel it too now, right?

CHARITY

The galleries are making it

Hard to bead on, but this is

The building. I wouldn't have

Found it this fast without you.

HOPE

OK. I'll try to talk to her.

She'll listen to me.

CHARITY

Did you know Joy?

HOPE

Did you?

CHARITY

We worked together for a while.

I'd just like to know what

happened.

HOPE

She got b-eaten by a witch.

Killed.

CHARITY

She didn't turn?

HOPE

There was nothing left to turn.

CHARITY

Oh. If her soul gem was destroyed

Then she's...Was it quick?

HOPE

No.

CHARITY

Goddamn.

HOPE

Joy was-

CHARITY

Joy's gone. We have to try to

Save Prudence now.

HOPE

Yeah. OK.

Deeper in the museum an ethereal grief seed brimming with black smoke. Charity comes around a corner and sees it.

CHARITY

Found her.

Hope and Charity stand around the seed.

HOPE

Are you sure this will work?

CHARITY

I'm certain I can make the

Connection. That's it. The

Rest is up to Prudence. You

Know her better. You tell me.

HOPE

I don't know.

CHARITY

Stupidity has a knack of

Getting its way. One way or

another I'm going to take

care of her but I'd rather

this stupid plan work.

With a defiant grin Charity throws her skewer sticks into the wall around the seed. The seed opens and Charity and Hope are whisked inside. Hastor comes around a corner looking around as though the quarry is lost. The girls are in a Labyrinth that is an opera house. Distantly an E-minor orchestral dirge drones on.

HOPE

When you said take care of her

You mean you'll kill her?

CHARITY

I mean I'll do my job as a

Puella. Don't jump to that

Conclusion yet, either.

They walk further into the Opera house as the music intensifies.

CHARITY (CTD)

I was trying to turn her into

This from the first moment I

Met her. I've been doing it

For months. Making enemies of

Puella so they turn to witches

For me. Do you hate me for that?

HOPE

I don't know what to say.

CHARITY

I do. I'm sorry for what I've

Done. When I saw you crying

Over her I understood how I was

Living and the kind of pain I

Was creating when I wasn't even

A witch yet. If I can save her

Maybe I'll find a new way to

Help other Puella instead of

Killing them off. Freedom is

Nothing but the chance to be

Better. Maybe you'll understand

That but I wish she could.

The hall warps.

CHARITY (CTD)

Hang on. She knows we're here.

The Two are whisked away passing through gates to see the witch Octavia conducting the dirge orchestra with her sword. Charity transforms spectacularly and when she is completed (E3) Wipers "D7" begins and blends over the gradually fading orchestra. Charity constructs a barrier around Hope and leaps into action.

Charity jump into the face of the witch. Giant wagon-wheels appear and fly at her, blasting her away.

HOPE

Charity!

CHARITY

Don't worry about me. Call out

To Prudence! Snap her out of it!

Charity fends off attacks at the barrier around Hope. She takes a beating doing it.

HOPE

Prudence! It's me. Hope!

We're here to help you!

An enormous sword wielding fist comes down, cracking the ground and taking Hope off her feet. The sword swipes and hits Charity who blocks it but is thrown high into a balcony of the Opera house. She props herself up just in time to see some wagon wheels zeroing in on her. Her leap is just in time as the wheels smash into the balcony. More head her way and strike her over and over before she beats them back. Beaten and bloody Charity lands in the aisle of the theater before she charges down to the stage. Cotton ball with mustache familiars jump out of the seats to stop her but she bashes them away leaps on the stage rushing past Hope.

HOPE

Prudence! We all want you to

Come back. We can fix this.

After batting away a few attacks Charity leaps into the rafters.

HOPE (CTD)

We'll wake you up, Prudence.

Look at me. You know who I am.

Please trust me.

The witch unseats itself and moves its mermaid lower half back to slither close to Hope. The giant helmeted head stoops low to gaze at Hope inside the protective cage like a fearsome dinosaur from a popular nineties film. She slices the barrier away with a single blow.

HOPE (CTD)

Charity! Now!

Charity jumps from the rafters and lands her hand on the head of the witch. With an energy blast from Charity the witch reels backwards. Charity's sigil appears, and the witch clutches its face. Back in the hotel room the sigil on Prudence's head glows and reacts with the witches copy. She opens her mouth and breathes again. The witch reels backwards its head high and stunned. Charity and Hope look up with tentative optimism.

CHARITY

It's working! She made contact!

In the Hotel Prudence opens her eyes and they are blank and smeared with the curse of the witch like swirls of crude oil that begin to spread onto her face. She looks at her hand at the same time and with the same motion as the witch. Prudence screams as D7 goes into its sustain. Then the body of Prudence bursts into flames as the Punk rock guitar kicks in. The sigil burns on the witches head. The witch looks down at the girls, enraged.

CHARITY

Oh no.

The witch beats the floor more in agony. The sigil on its head is flaming like the anger of a Hindu God.

HOPE

What's happening?

CHARITY

It didn't work.

HOPE

No!

Charity builds a stronger Barrier around Hope. The witch swats Charity away and beats the barrier around Hope until it shatters.

An image of red and blue silhouettes. Prduence stands sword drawn pointing at the silhouette of Charity. They lock weapons and spar as before

CHARITY (V.O)

You wouldn't stay down. Even now

You're trying to give me the beating

Of my life. No matter what pain you

deal out to me it will never match

what I've done. There are no happy

Endings for us.

Charity drops her weapon. Prudence hesitates for a moment before coming in for a slash. Charity anticipates it, however and blocks her wrist. She holds the blow back and pulls Prudence in closer to embrace her.

CHARITY (V.O)

But I don't want you to end like

this. You're the only one in the

world who knows my favorite song.

I want to sing with you some more.

The forms blend into one another and swirl into a spiral. The red and blue shatter to become blood spattered across the blue gown of the the witch. Charity is beaten and bloody and shakes her head back to reality just in time to watch as the witch picks up Hope in its left hand cranes her up to the helmeted masked head.

CHARITY

Prudence!

Charity leaps and lops off the hand grasping Hope.

CHARITY (CTD)

I know you can hear me. I don't

Want to fight it anymore. You are

Still the same. This isn't what you

Want is it? You wanted justice,

right?

The witch stares at its stumped hand and a memory of a world forgotten by everyone except for her echoes in her mind. She raises her right fist and slams the ground that finally shatters and the world falls through and inverts. On the other side is a lonely stage with the shadow of a boy who will not play the music Prudence wants to hear. The witch slithers to the stage to protect the shadow.

Amani appears. She embraces Hope who's knocked out.

AMANI

What are you doing here?

CHARITY

You're just in time.

Charity extends a barrier between her and Amani.

CHARITY (CTD)

Take Hope and get out.

AMANI

What? Why?

CHARITY

I'm not leaving Prudence behind.

AMANI

She's a witch!

CHARITY

I'm going to open all my

Energy limiters.

AMANI

That will destroy you!

CHARITY

Victory described in detail

Is indistinguishable from defeat.

The labyrinth quakes and separates Charity and Amani. Amani retreats with Hope. Charity turns to the Witch defending the shadow like the last fragment of a broken dream.

CHARITY (CTD)

I'll stay with you now,

Prudence. After all aren't

You the one who's lonely?

Charity removes her Soul gem and places it into the blade of her spear. Energy begins to pour out of it, cracking the surface. A giant spear emerges beneath her pointing at the witch. Charity stands on the spear head, then leaps off commanding it to thrust. The giant spear lunges forward. Pinning The witch to the back of the stage, crushing the boy's shadow. Charity charges.

CHARITY (V.O)

Absolute freedom mocks justice

Absolute justice denies freedom.

The two must find their limits

in each other.

Dodging attacks all the way Prudence leaps with a final battle cry and buries the head of the spear into the witches forehead, the burning sigil. The energy in the soul gem is released all at once and Charity and the witch are obliterated by the explosion. The Labyrinth fades and Amani carrying Hope Is now suddenly back in the abandoned Museum. Amani Props Hope up. She is wide-eyed, almost in a state of shock as to what has happened. She tries to ease Hope's panic.

HOPE

No. No. Prudence. She…She

She didn't make it out. Amani

We have to go back. Where's

Charity? We need to find

Charity and get Prudence back!

AMANI

Sh. Sh. Hope. It's over.

Prudence and Charity are gone

Now. It's just me.

HOPE

No. No. We have to go back they

Must be in trouble.

AMANI

Hope. I'm sorry. We couldn't

Save them. But don't worry.

I won't let anything bad happen

Any more.

HOPE

Amani. You've got to do something

It can't be like this.

AMANI

I'll take care of everything.

HOPE

What are we going to do, Amani?

Amani brushes the hair out from Hope's worried eyes and tries to come up with something to say.

AMANI  
Like I said. Everything's

Going to be alright. I'm still

Here and so are you. Trust me

OK? Give me your hand.

Amani reaches out her hand and tentatively Hope takes it.

HOPE

You're all that's left, Amani.

AMANI

If you're here then I'm not

alone. Just don't make a wish

promise me. Promise me now.

HOPE

I…I won't make a wish. I promise.

AMANI

Oh, Hope. Thank-

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!

HOPE

Amani! What's wrong?

Hope moves her to one side to see two tazer prongs buried in her back. Hastor is there making hand gestures to control the situation.

HASTOR

Don't move miss! I have this

Situation under control.

HOPE

Amani?

Hastor cuffs Amani and radios for backup.

HASTOR

This is off duty officer Hastor calling

HQ I have apprehended the suspect in

The militia arms robbery. Nelson Museum.

I'm bringing her in.

AMANI

Hope! You have to-

You have to-

HASTOR

You have the right to remain silent.

Hope's gaze freezes as Amani is pinned down and arrested.

Credits.


	7. Mercy

Chenalos presents

A 14 rivers play for the screen

Based upon Puella Magi Madoka Magica

The Magic of Hope

Episode 6: Mercy

mail Chenalos at yahoo dot com

twitter at ChenalosFiction

Teaser

Amani is getting her mug shot. She is in shackles and is stubbornly defiant. She is forcefully turned to get the profile by a female officer there is another officer in the room typing the dossier. She is sat down by the officer again, forcefully. Lemon enters the interrogation room.

COMPUTER COP

Hello, Lemon.

LEMON

Do you have the evidence

on the suspect?

COMPUTER COP

Not much but it should be

All in that bin.

The Computer cop points to a plastic Bin with a wallet and some keys and a cell phone in it along with four grief seeds.

LEMON

Well good, because it's going

Across town in half an hour.

Last car of the night.

COMPUTER COP

Like I said, take the bin.

Lemon gives Amani a quick look over.

LEMON

You do know you must confiscate

All personal belongings.

Computer cop taps the plastic bin with a pen without breaking focus.

LEMON (CTD)

All personal belongings.

Including Jewelry.

Amani suddenly realizes he is talking about her ring.

AMANI

Wait! Wait! No. No.

Not my ring! You can't take

My ring!

The female cop moves to Amani's hand.

FEMALE COP

Miss, all of your belongings

Will be returned to you at

A later time.

AMANI

You can't take it! I need it.

Amani struggles against the officer and tightens her grip.

FEMALE COP

Miss, this is just a formality.

You belongings will be returned.

Give up the ring.

AMANI

Stop! Stop! You can't.

The female cop picks up Amani and bends her over a table in a violent but controlled motion and shouts in an intimidating manner.

FEMALE COP

I am not dealing with this right

Now do you hear me? Open that

Hand. Open your hand! That's an

order!

AMANI

No! No!

Forcefully the female cop removes the ring Amani reaches for it helplessly. Her eyes horrify at the sight of her soul gem being placed in a little plastic baggie and dropped into the plastic bin. Amani is forcefully sat down.

FEMALE COP

Don't give me any more shit.

Not dealing with the atmosphere of the room Lemon shrugs off the events and takes the bin out of the room. Amani's eyes trace it all the way out.

COMPUTER COP

I'm done here take her to

interrogation.

Amani is brought to her feet and is led by the female cop down the hall. Amani looks everywhere to spot her soul gem. Police and walls give the atmosphere the impression of enclosure, oppression and helplessness. Out of the corner of her eye she spots the bin as it is whisked away out the door to a parking lot.

Interrogation room. Amani is alone and tries to calm herself when the door swings open. Hastor enters and sits across from her and allows the moment to breathe in silence. After the pause Amani calms herself enough to talk.

AMANI

Detective Hastor-

HASTOR

Seventeen hundred dollars.

AMANI

What?

HASTOR

I only buy American tires

And you forgot labor cost

And towing.

AMANI

Oh. Right.

HASTOR

Well, before we begin, is

There anything you want to

Say?

AMANI

Mercy, I'm going to die.

HASTOR

What?

AMANI

In less than 30 minutes I'll

Be dead and you're the only

One who can stop it.

HASTOR

How do you know my name?

Hastor leans on one hand and looks at her, with fingers tapping on the surface of the table.

AMANI

I can't die. Not now. I need your help.

Without you, I'm dead.

HASTOR

What to do? What to do?

Hastor smiles at the helpless girl.

TITLE

MERCY

Intro

Act 1

Hastor is still staring at Amani with no intention of doing anything, just waiting for her to talk.

AMANI

Don't you care I'm going to die?

Your only suspect?

HASTOR

I'm not worried at all. You see

Amani, I'm your only friend.

AMANI

What?

HASTOR

I told you. There are two agents:

One from the DHS the other from

The NSA. They are going to be

Very forceful about your

interrogation when they get here.

Not me. I want to talk you down

For your sake.

AMANI

Oh spare me the good cop bullshit.

HASTOR.

It's not bullshit.

AMANI

I don't have time.

HASTOR

…Because you're going to die?

AMANI

Yes. Exactly.

HASTOR

Then just like you said, I'm

The only one who can help you.

Tell me where the bomb is and

I'll do whatever I can.

AMANI

The bomb? Right. That's what

You want.

HASTOR

I told you I want the collar.

You tell me where the bomb is, I

Get my arrest. There's no way

Around that now, right? It's

Time to give up, Amani. You've

Run long enough.

AMANI

Oh, you have no idea.

HASTOR

Easy. So just make the deal

With me right here and I'll

Do whatever I can to make sure

You go to trial alive. You're

Not really in a position-

AMANI

Not in a position? Hastor…The

Bomb is on a timer. I'm the

Only one who knows where it is

And how to deactivate it. It

will detonate in three days

at dawn. Thousands might die.

With me dead, you'll be just as

guilty as I am.

Hastor re-adjusts anxiously.

HASTOR

How did you know that they took

My badge?

AMANI

Statistics.

Again, Hastor sensing the power dynamic has changed sits up to plan the next strategy.

HASTOR

You want me to really level

With you? OK, you got it.

You were right. I'm off force.

I'm your only chance, but I'm

Not a cop right now. The

Only way I can help you is

If you help me. Those agents

Are coming. Assure them that

You will cooperate with me and

Me alone and I've got a shot

At getting everyone out alive.

AMANI

Not if I'm dead.

HASTOR

We're getting to that. Strike a

deal with me let me set all the

terms and I will meander the both

of us out of this.

AMANI

I want Hope DelSoro to be with

Us.

HASTOR

What?

AMANI

The girl that was with me in

The museum. The one you were

Stalking. I want her to be

With me through this entire

Process.

HASTOR

Non Compos mentes.

AMANI

Quid pro quo.

HASTOR

Just say for a second I believe

You. You're going to die, the bomb

Is going to go off. How is it you

Are dying? Just so I know for sure.

A pause as Amani steels herself for the delivery.

AMANI

I've taken poison.

HASTOR

OK, go on.

AMANI

That's right. I'll be poisoned

To death very shortly.

HASTOR

Less than 30 minutes, according

To you. Listening.

AMANI

The first stage is paralysis.

My body will go completely limp

I will not respond to anything.

My breathing will stop and I'll

Enter a stasis.

HASTOR

When did you take this poison?

AMANI

A long time ago.

HASTOR

And you know for a fact it's

Going to kick in now.

AMANI

I just know it will happen soon.

HASTOR

Get your story straight.

AMANI

Paralyzed: the first stage. It lasts

For maybe ten minutes. Afterwards There

is no Second stage. No. I'm going

to be gone unless you help me.

You'll…You'll see for yourself.

HASTOR

What do I do to save you?

AMANI

The antidote for this poison is

In the ring that was taken from me.

Once my ring is back in my hand

The antidote will work naturally.

HASTOR

OK. So let me get your demands.

You want your ring and you want

Hope DelSoro to help you through

interrogation. Sounds a little

more reasonable than a prisoner

swap or say ten million dollars

in small unmarked bills. I'll

give you that.

AMANI

Hastor. You want the collar.

I'll give it all up to you if you

Follow my instructions.

Hastor stands suddenly.

HASTOR

Enough of wasted time.

AMANI

Don't go! This is your only

Chance to-

HASTOR

I think I've done enough to get

re-instated. Maybe it is best if

the NSA handles this one.

AMANI

No, Hastor, listen to me. You're

All in danger. I have to get to-

Hastor leaves the room and Amani's cool unsettles as she is alone. She looks into the one way mirror. On the other side Lemon looks on and Hastor enters the room.

LEMON

She's trying to play you.

HASTOR

No. I've got her. Just watch.

The agents?

LEMON

They know. They'll be here in

Less than an hour.

HASTOR

Shit. Everything is played so

Close to the vest. What's the

Situation with that ring?

LEMON

Should be headed over to

The locker in a few minutes.

HASTOR

The rookie's taking it over, right?

LEMON  
Want me to call him, bring in the

Ring?

HASTOR

No. I got his number anyway.

LEMON  
Oh.

HASTOR

I get everybody's number, Lemon.

LEMON

You never call me.

HASTOR

Some other time, OK?

LEMON

She made a big fuss when we

Took that ring away. I happened

To be there for that.

HASTOR

OK.

LEMON  
Do you believe her?

HASTOR

About the poison? No. But

I'm sure she will throw some

Surprises at me if I let my

Guard down.

LEMON  
What's your next move?

HASTOR

Tell you to get out of here.

LEMON

What?

HASTOR

You've helped me enough. If

Dixon or DeWitt know how much

You pitched in then we'll both

Be eggs in the frying pan.

LEMON

But like you said you've got her.

You made the arrest. You get the

Credit for it, everything. They

Have to reinstate you.

HASTOR

All I did was wound their pride

over and over. What helps me

hurts them and when this turns bad

I don't want you taking the heat.

LEMON

Hastor!

HASTOR

Lemon. Thanks for the help.

Now walk away.

Reluctantly Lemon leaves the room. Hastor re-directs attention to Amani who stares into the one-way mirror.

Lemon goes out to where the drivers are dispatched. Dispatcher and Rookie are here. Rookie is texting on a cell phone. Lemon rummages through Amani's bin and finds her ring. He examines it for a moment, curiously before putting it back in the bin.

LEMON

Evidence headed over?

DISPATCHER

Just about ready.

LEMON

What are we waiting on?

Dispatcher points at rookie.

DISPATCHER

Him.

Lemon angrily approaches rookie who never unlocks his focus on texting.

LEMON

Hey, Driver. You're late. That

Car was supposed to be headed over

Ten minutes ago.

ROOKIE  
What's the rush?

LEMON

The rush is that evidence locker is

Going to close up in less than an hour.

ROOKIE

Oh, Morning shift can handle it.

LEMON

Morning shift?

ROOKIE

Even if I get it over there they

Won't log it until tomorrow anyway.

LEMON

Well, you've got a point there.

Incensed Lemon takes his phone away and turns it over to the dispatcher.

ROOKIE

Hey!

LEMON

Shut up.

ROOKIE

That's my phone!

LEMON

I don't want you texting while

Driving.

ROOKIE

Give me my fucking phone back you-

Driver approaches threateningly and Lemon shows his badge.

LEMON

Whoa, whoa, whoa. Hey, Rookie,

How about a little respect?

ROOKIE

I'm just saying you can't-

LEMON

I'm just saying do your goddamn

Job. I mean for the love of

Christ take some pride in

Something you slacker piece of

Shit. Don't give him his phone

Back until the job's done.

Lemon leaves. Rookie flips him off behind his back then gets the keys from behind the dispatch desk.

ROOKIE  
Fascist asshole.

Rookie heads out to the Van and stows the evidence bin. In the back the purple gem of Amani's ring is glowing. Rookie starts the car and drives away. As the car gets further and further the light in the ring dims more and more.

Back in the Police department Amani can feel the connection with her Soul Gem weakening. She panics a bit and struggles in the chains of the shackles. In the van the light in the ring fades away. Amani drops. Hastor enters the room from the partition and sets her back in the chair.

HASTOR

Amani! Snap out of it! Amani!

Ms. Stanton! Can you hear me?

Oh my god.

Hastor runs down the hall to the dispatch. She's on her phone calling the driver.

HASTOR (CTD)

Pick up. Pick up. Pick up!

Hastor runs into the dispatch area, looking out the window for the van. Hastor then turns and sees the ringing phone on the desk.

HASTOR

Shit!

Hastor runs out to see two officers coming in from a patrol.

B&W1

Hey, Hastor.

B&W2

Hastor? I thought you were

suspended.

HASTOR

I need your patrol car!

B&W1

What?

HASTOR

It's an Emergency! Give

Me the keys.

B&W1

OK. Here you go.

Hastor jumps in and hits the lights and the siren and gunning through traffic racing up behind the van heading across town. In the van Rookie checks his rear-view seeing the flashing blues he pulls to one side. He's surprised to see the unit pulling over ahead of him with a screeching halt. Hastor emerges and runs to the driver's side.

ROOKIE

Hey, Hastor, what are you

Doing here?

HASTOR

Open the van!

The van door is opened and Hastor finds the bin marked 'Stanton.' Looking inside Hastor finds the ring. Hastor runs back to the car and with the sirens still blaring she heads to the precinct.

At the station a black car pulls up and Lemon watches it.

LEMON

Oh, no.

Dixon and DeWitt emerge. Lemon comes out front to meet them.

DIXON

Where is Hastor?

LEMON

What do you mean?

DEWITT

Don't even tempt us with going

After you for obstruction.

DIXON

Where is Hastor?

LEMON

Last I checked, with the suspect.

Blaring, Hastor's patrol car pulls into the station. As Hastor emerges. The agents turn on her

DIXON

You!

DEWITT

We have put up with you long

Enough.

DIXON

At this point we might as well

Treat you like a national security

Threat.

Hastor looks distantly to Lemon as the agents close in, puts the ring onto the key-ring of the patrol car keys.

HASTOR

Lemon!

Hastor tosses the keys to Lemon.

HASTOR (CTD)

Get that ring to Amani Stanton

Right now!

The agents turn on Lemon.

DIXON

Officer, anything to do with her

is under our jurisdiction. Whatever

that is, give it to me.

DEWITT

You will cooperate with our

Investigation, detective.

HASTOR

Lemon!

Lemon looks at Hastor.

HASTOR (CTD)

Go!

Lemon turns and runs through the precinct, the athletic agents in pursuit and Hastor following behind. He dodges officers along the way to get to the interrogation room, finding Amani passed out. He throws the keys thoughtlessly on the table and they slide off and into Amani's lap.

LEMON

Ms. Stanton! Ms. Stanton!

Wake up!

Dixon and DeWitt burst into the room

DIXON

Welcome to your new living hell.

DEWITT

You are as done as that rat

Hastor.

Hastor enters.

HASTOR

Lemon! Is Stanton awake?

DIXON

What do you mean awake?

DEWITT  
Shut up! Shut up!

DeWitt approaches Amani and tries to rouse her. She does not respond. Dixon turns and pins Hastor to the wall.

DIXON

What have you done to our

Suspect?

HASTOR

She did it to herself.

DIXON

In your custody.

HASTOR

I did everything I could to-

DIXON

DeWitt, get some officers

In here and have these two

Arrested.

LEMON

No, wait, at least let-

DEWITT

You are both under arrest!

This investigation is over.

You! Turn in your badge!

LEMON

Hastor?

HASTOR

I don't know. She's supposed to

snap out of it. She said so.

DIXON

No talking you piece of-

Amani suddenly gasps to life and wide eyed is hyperventilating in the seat. The moment calms as all eyes are on Amani.

HASTOR

Amani, meet agents Dixon and

DeWitt. They're from the NSA

And Department of Homeland

Security.

Amani nods and looks down at the glowing amethyst colored stone of the ring in her lap. She looks back up at the agents.

AMANI

I will only cooperate with officer

Hastor. If you want your bomb back

then Hastor must be leading the

investigation.

Dixon sneers at Hastor.

DIXON

You slimy little-

HASOTR

Yeah. Well. Slime is not a crime.

Let's get down to business.

ACT 2

School. Hope is barely keeping it together. She looks at Prudence's empty seat and images of the witch fills her head. She looks at the desk across where Amani sits and closing her eyes she remembers Amani's arrest. Hastor putting the handcuffed Amani in the back of his rental car. She was screaming at her, though her voice was muffled by the closed car window.

HASTOR

I won't be taking you in

And I can't legally ask you

Any questions without your

Parent's authorization.

HOPE

I don't have anything to say

To you.

HASTOR

There will be a time for you

To tell me what I want to know

and I think you will.

HOPE

There are things out there that

Only she can do, officer.

HASTOR

I'll contact your folks and

We'll see what can be arranged.

For now, I've called you a

Ride home. There it is.

A cab pulls up.

HOPE

Amani and I-

HASTOR

Believe me I'm going to want

To hear all of it. For now

Just be on your way.

Hope nods and enters the cab defeated. She looks at Amani and the two lock eyes for a moment. The image of Amani is locked in her memory as she opens her eyes. She doesn't notice Amity approaching.

AMITY

Hope.

HOPE

She's gone.

AMITY

What?

HOPE

Prudence is gone. That's what

You were going to ask, right?

AMITY

How is she gone?

HOPE

I asked her to come back and she

Wouldn't so she's gone now. Do

You feel better?

AMITY

She left me a message and I

Want to-

HOPE

Well you can't. Nobody can.

AMITY

Hope, I didn't mean to-

HOPE

How could you? Amity, How could

You? Do you know what it did to

Her? I'm going to the park just

To get away from you. You're

horrible!

Hope rises from her seat and leaves the school.

Park. Woods.

HOPE  
I know you're out here somewhere.

I want to talk.

ARVESS

I'm here.

Arvess floats down and lands on a stone.

HOPE

You never told her. You never

Told any of them what the

Witches are.

ARVESS

I wasn't keeping it a secret.

We have bound ourselves to

Honesty. We will answer any

Question about being a puella

With absolute accuracy.

HOPE

What you're doing is wrong.

ARVESS

Is it? If you think so, just

Look around you. The puella

Making wishes for humans and

Fighting for their survival

Are part of what has built your

Species into this state. Cities,

Technology, more things than you

Know came about only because we

Have been pushing your species

Along.

HOPE

You can't take credit for

Everything we've done.

ARVESS

Even so you can't live in a system

Where you benefit greatly and not

Be respectful that this system

exists. Regardless of how it keeps

itself going.

HOPE

The puella have no chance to save

Themselves!

ARVESS

Of course not. All they can do is

Give up everything. We don't force

it on them. We are totally honest.

We give them the world they want.

Wouldn't you say we've been at least

more grateful Than your cruel

civilization?

HOPE

What? What have we done?

Suddenly images of cattle, cows, swine, chickens caged up and restrained in pens. Implements used to slaughter animals are sharply intercut with the desperate faces of cattle. Hope is shocked backwards and stumbles.

ARVESS

The animals you devour have

Feelings but because they cannot

Speak or build or make rules

You consume them without thought.

Your species refuses to understand

Them. We know what we do to

puella. But unlike you we are

willing to make Sacrifices. Give

up some of the Cleoneum's energy

for a wish to change the world.

The Cleoneum and its power are as

Much as responsible for this society

As it is for ours. Trust me when I

tell you that if it weren't for us

you'd all still be living in Jungles

and Caves.

HOPE

Arvess, Amani is the last one left?

ARVESS

For now.

HOPE

What's going to happen to her?

ARVESS

She intends to fight Walpurgisnacht

day after tomorrow.

HOPE

What does that mean?

ARVESS

She's going to be killed.

HOPE  
What? No.

ARVESS

If she's right, and Walpurgisnacht

Will come then she most certainly

Doesn't have the energy to beat

It alone. She has gathered human

Implements that might accomplish

the task but in the process of using

them while in combat she will

Expend her soul gem. There is no

way out. Whether she is killed or

her karma inverts and she becomes

a witch Amani is going to die in

two days.

HOPE

Is there no way to save her?

ARVESS

Have you not listened to me? You.

You have the power to change

everything. Your wish can save her.

HOPE

But I'll become a witch.

ARVESS

You become a puella first. Born

From a blessing though you bring

A curse. You will be more

mighty than anyone. Your energy

Will power our civilization and

We will carry the memory of your

Life forever, as we have all puella.

If you choose to die for the sake

of the universe and live forever

in our debt and the memory of the

cleoneum's eternal resonance let me

know.

Arvess floats away. Hastor enters. Hope walks away.

HASTOR

Miss DelSoro.

HOPE

Leave me alone.

HASTOR

I've called your parents. Your

Father gave me permission to talk

To you and I want your help.

This is a confusing time for

All of us and we're asking you to

Cooperate.

HOPE

No. I keep telling people I can't

do anything.

HASTOR

Have you ever been to the Cunningham

Hotel?

HOPE

No!

HASTOR

There was a fire there. They found

The body of a girl. Your friend

Prudence is missing isn't she?

HOPE

No!

HASTOR

Your friend is dead. She's the one

Who died in that fire isn't she?

HOPE

No!

HASTOR

Ms. DelSoro-

HOPE

No! No! No! No!

She turns defiant at Hastor, deeply shaken.

HOPE

No. No. No.

Hastor stands opposite her but refuses to console her.

HASTOR

I'm sorry. I don't know how all

Of this fits together. The only

Chance I have is that girl Amani.

But she refuses to cooperate unless

You are assisting. Why is that?

HOPE

I don't know! She hates me! All

She ever does is scream at me.

She tells me to leave her alone to

Never interfere with her and now

She wants my help?

HASTOR

Will you help her?

HOPE

No!

HASTOR

Why not?

HOPE

Because I can't help. I'm not

Special. I can't do anything.

Prudence was strong. The other

Girls they knew what to do.

They're all gone now and only me

The helpless little girl is left

Over. Leave me alone, officer.

There's nothing for me to do.

HASTOR

Why was Prudence strong? Strong

Against what? You wanted to tell

Me last night. Now you have the

Chance. I don't understand half

The things that have gone on

Recently.

HOPE

She's a Puella.

HASTOR

What is a Puella?

HOPE  
The saddest thing in the world.

She's cursed to fight her own

Kind until she is killed. There

Is no way to stop it. You think

I'm crazy.

HASTOR

I've seen too much to think

You're crazy at this point.

HOPE

Then you know I can't help. I

Don't want it to be this way.

She's at the end now for whatever

it is she's planning. But you are

stopping her. So right now if you

don't let her go people will be

in danger.

HASTOR

I was wrong. That's crazy.

HOPE

It is. I know it is. That's why

I can't do it anymore. I won't

Go with you. I'll have no part

Of this! Am I free to go, officer?

HASTOR

You're free to go.

(F1) Tales of Brave Ulysses by Cream begins to play. The first note is the resounding chord as Hope in slow motion turns to run off. Hastor acquiesces and returns to his car. Hope runs until she finds herself in front of the Cunningham hotel, looking into the burnt out window of the room where Prudence lay just the day before. She hangs her head in sadness then looks up with affirmation and walks away. From behind the glass of the partition Dixon and DeWitt are shown questioning Amani as Lemon observes. They appear to make grand threats and accusations but are getting nowhere. Hastor enters the partition doubtful. A girls feet are shown walking into the station. Back at the interrogation room Dixon and DeWitt point fingers and make threats. The girls feet walk down the hall she enters the interrogation partition Hastor reacts immediately. Dixon and DeWitt turn as Hope enters.

AMANI

Get out. Both of you.

DIXON

Excuse me?

AMANI

You wanted to hear me talk.

That's the person I'm going

To talk to.

DIXON

We'll be listening in.

AMANI

I know. Leave.

Dixon and DeWitt leave to the partition. Hope sits down across from Amani.

HOPE

Why are they doing this to you Amani?

AMANI

I have stolen some weapons to

Complete my tasks. They want

Them back.

HOPE

Why do you always follow me?

AMANI

I have to prevent you from making

A wish.

HOPE

Why?

AMANI

If you don't understand that by now

Then we have nothing to talk about.

HOPE

It's because of my ability, isn't it?

I'm going to become some kind of

Super witch aren't I? Something you

Can't beat.

AMANI

Don't be so dramatic.

HOPE

Amani, they're all dead now. We're

Alone in this. I watched Prudence

Die. Do you know what that feels like?

AMANI

Hope DelSoro, I have seen things a

Hundred times worse a hundred

times over. Again and again.

Hope looks in the one-sided mirror.

HOPE

They must think we're out of our minds.

AMANI

That doesn't matter. Where is

Their focus? They're watching me.

Where's my focus? I'm watching

You. You may think I hate you but

The truth is I'll do anything you ask.

HOPE

As long as I don't make a wish.

AMANI

Exactly.

Hope sits back in her seat and sterns herself.

HOPE

Amani, give the police what they

Want.

AMANI

What?

HOPE

I'm telling you to give up.

AMANI

Give up? The day after tomorrow-

HOPE

I don't care anymore. You've

Done enough haven't you? Aren't

You tired? Don't you want this

To end?

AMANI

You can't ask me to stop.

I'm not done! I've come too

Far. My wish Hasn't been granted yet!

HOPE

What did you wish for, Amani!?

You said it was what you wanted most

in the World. You said you didn't

regret it. But you can't even tell

me. So I can't trust you.

Hope gets up to walk away.

AMANI

Every day I tell myself today

I'll do it. This time I'll do it

At last. At the same time I tell

Myself if not today then tomorrow.

Today, tomorrow, sometime someday

I'll figure this all out. I don't

Know if I'm lying to myself anymore,

Hope DelSoro. I'm just completely

Lost in the night walking to the only

Light I can see. I can get so very,

Very close to it. Close enough to

Feel warm, but every time it vanishes.

There is, someday…a bright and

beautiful day, A new day It's not

yesterday, today or tomorrow. The

rain ends. The sun shines. There is

peace. If you could see that day you

would understand But I can't bring

you there because it's just some silly

wish from one stupid girl. But it's

all I have.

HOPE

I'm done, Amani. You're on your own.

AMANI

I'll do this. I'll take them to the

Bomb they want. I'll give them

Everything and all I ask for is that

We talk again, just like this.

HOPE

That's all, just talk?

AMANI

Yes.

HOPE

I'll tell them.

AMANI

They're listening. They already know.

I'm asking you. Please listen to me

once this is all done. Sit down and

talk to me and let me be honest.

Hope approaches the table to look Amani in the eyes.

HOPE

OK. I promise. Whatever you need

To say I'll listen.

AMANI

Thank you.

Hope exits to the partition. DeWitt and Dixon immediately re-enter and start screaming at Amani to give up the bomb's location. Hastor kills the audio from the interrogation room.

HASTOR

Why help us now?

HOPE

I knew I would come to you. I just

needed to see what happened to

Prudence first.

HASTOR

Can you tell me anything about

Her plan?

HOPE

You won't believe it.

HASTOR

I don't need to believe it. You

Need to say it.

HOPE

In two days Walpurgisnacht arrives.

HASTOR

What is Walpurgisnacht?

HOPE

All I know is that she will die.

HASTOR

Is that what you want?

Hope shakes her head.

HASTOR (CTD)

What do you think we should do?

HOPE

Whatever she wants to say, I'll

Listen. Will you let me talk to

Her after all this?

HASTOR

I will but do you trust her?

HOPE  
She's screaming.

HASTOR

What?

HOPE

She's screaming, look.

Amani is shown screaming at the top of her lungs. Over Dixon and DeWitt. Hastor turns the mic back on. Above the barking agents Amani's voice rings clear.

AMANI

HASTOR! HASTOR! HASTOR!

Hastor leaves the partition and enters the interrogation room.

HASTOR  
Please, please, everyone, calm

Down. Quiet. Quiet.

The agents step back nonchalantly.

AMANI

Hastor?

HASTOR

I'm listening.

AMANI

Bring a table and two chairs to

A warehouse 64-14a E106th street.

I'll give you your bomb and

I want to have one last

Conversation with Hope DelSoro.

HASTOR

How about I send a squad out to

Get it for us?

AMANI (Shaking her head)

You don't want to do that.

DIXON

We're taking charge from here.

We have an address. We get the

Bomb you get the arrest if that's

All you want.

HASTOR

Fair deal.

DeWITT

We'll be moving in a Humvee with

Military guard so look

professional.

Dixon and DeWitt leave. Amani cows her head, defeated.

HASTOR

Well, let's go.

ACT 3

Night.

Hastor folds up a table and tosses it in the back of a police SUV. He returns and under guard Amani is marched in shackles to the SUV and put into the back seat. Amani watches as Hastor takes out a ring full of keys. Vignette still frame of the key ring. Hastor puts the keys in her front coat pocket.

HASTOR

East 106th street? There is

Nothing out there. You

Wouldn't bring the bomb out

There unless you aren't

Planning to hurt anyone. Why

Not plant it in the city where

You could do some real damage?

AMANI

Where is Hope DelSoro?

HASTOR

Making a call to her family.

She'll be coming along after

Us. Lemon, the other officer

He'll take care of it.

AMANI

I won't cooperate without her.

HASTOR

I'm no longer concerned about your

Cooperation. I don't see you have

Any options left.

AMANI

How about your partner?

HASTOR

He'll be bringing her to the site.

Lemon's not my partner. He's

A friend who respects my methods.

He likes my technique.

AMANI

Is that all he likes?

HASTOR

If there is anything else he doesn't

Talk About it.

AMANI

You're not a good person, you know

That, detective Hastor?

HASTOR

All depends on how you define good.

I like to think of a good person

As someone who never gives up on

the goal they've set for themselves

No matter what the cost.

AMANI

Is that so?

HASTOR

Yeah. Wouldn't you say I'm a good

Person by that measure?

AMANI

Well, maybe, but by those standards

I assure you I'm the best person

you'll ever meet.

Amani rattles her chains and looks out the caged window. Hastor starts the car and drives off.

The car pulls up to the destination. It is a dimly lit warehouse construction site. Hastor pulls the car up to the shell of the construction. Walls on all side and a roof with a bare concrete floor. The Hum-vee has perimeter lights Sharply cutting the dark room. Some further LEDs shine showing the surreal sillouettes of the two agents and three soldiers who've come to identify the weapon and secure the area. Hastor parks the car and marches out Amani. A soldier approaches her. It is the first guard she saw from the airbase.

GUARD

I remember you. You broke my

Perimeter. You are so lucky

The cops got to you first.

Hastor steps between them.

HASTOR

Yes she is, soldier, so be

Reminded I have the situation

Under control.

GUARD

We're detaining your suspect.

HASTOR

How so?

The other soldiers erect a cage complete with Chain-link floor and ceiling. When completed Dixon steps forward, unlocks the door to the cage and opens. Obligingly, Amani walks in and the door is slammed shut behind her. She turns. The helplessness in her expression wrought in defeat has replaced her normal calm. Hastor sets up the table and chairs as requested and sits. The angry soldiers and agents wait impatiently for the payoff.

Hope and Lemon are driving along the same road. The car pulls into the Warehouse. Hope exits and sees caged Amani she runs over to her but stops short of the cage itself. DeWitt backs Hope away from the cage. Hastor rises.

DEWITT

Please step away from the suspect.

HASTOR

Have a seat here, miss.

Hope complies as Dixon opens the cage.

DIXON

This is everything you asked.

Show us the bomb.

Amani walks from the cage and across the bare concrete expanse of the warehouse. She looks back at Hope one last time but sees no reassurance from her. Amani reaches out her hand and in a magical flash of purple light the bomb appears, foreboding and enormous on the warehouse floor. DeWitt approaches smiling and looks over the bomb, then takes Amani by the arm.

DEWITT

That will be enough for you.

Let's go.

AMANI

Wait! I was promised-

DEWITT

Shut up.

HASTOR

Hang on, agent DeWitt.

DEWITT

Shut up.

HASTOR

I made a promise.

DEWITT

Well I took an oath. Go to Hell.

Hastor gets right into DeWitt's face.

HASTOR

You promised me an arrest. This

Is my arrest. I made a vow to

This suspect and I'm taking

Responsibility.

DEWITT

You're arrest is-

HASTOR

Why don't you go inspect your

Bomb? Make sure it's safe. I

Have to stay with my suspect and

Keep my ears open for whatever

she's going to say.

DeWitt grimaces angrily for a moment then shoves Amani into Hastor. Hastor walks Amani to the table as the agents inspect the bomb with one of the soldiers. Hope tries to look reassuringly into Amani's eyes.

HOPE

You did the right thing, Amani

It's all over for you now.

So you can rest.

AMANI

No, Hope. This means I have

To try something different.

HOPE

Why won't you just stop yourself?

AMANI

You won't let me. The very thought

Of you won't let me. Every night

You leave. Every morning you return.

I can't stop it any more than I can

Stop the dawn or the sunset. But I

Have to. I have to!

HOPE

What are you saying?

Amani extends her hands to the limit of the shackles and feebly reaches out her fingers.

AMANI

Take my hand, Hope.

With pity that melts into sympathy, Hope puts her hand in Amani's. Amani begins to whisper to her. Hastor is curious. The distracted Agents continue to inspect the bomb while the soldiers stand guard. Lemon sits on the hood of the car, keen on Hastor's next move. Trying to overhear Hastor approaches closer. Amani's hands tremble holding on to Hopes as she continues to whisper. Hastor takes one fateful step closer. Amani's eyes shoot to Hastor and in that instant she freezes time. Amani's Soul gem moves to her hand. It is heavily tainted but fully lit indicating a full charge. Everything is now in vignette and desaturated colors except for Hope and Amani. A tiny clock is heard ticking away fast.

AMANI (CTD)

Hope. There isn't much time.

Hope looks around, perplexed.

HOPE

Wait. Amani. What's going on?

AMANI

It's my soul gem. I'm freezing

Time but it won't last long.

Do you see the detective?

HOPE

What are you doing, Amani?

AMANI

In the front pocket of the

Detective is a ring of keys

I need it to get free. But If I

Make contact with her then I'll

be caught so you have to do it.

Amani's Soul Gem is now a quarter drained of light.

HOPE

Amani!

Hope pulls away. They begin to talk frantically to one another

AMANI

No, Hope! Don't let go! Please!

Listen to me! Listen! I have to

Fight Walpurgisnacht. It could

Destroy the city and kill hundreds!

HOPE

What?

AMANI

It's a curse! It's a giant witches

Curse. I'm the only one who can

Fight it. I have to save them.

I have to save the city!

HOPE

I can't just-

AMANI

I'm the only one left, Hope! No

One else can fight it! You have

To trust me now. All those

People will die if you don't!

HOPE

No. No.

AMANI

Hope. It's easy. Just reach into

That pocket. Get the keys. That's

All. I can do the rest.

HOPE

Uh-

AMANI

Just reach out, Hope. Get the key

For me. Go on. You've got it.

Hope timidly raises a hand and brings it to the pocket of the detective. Then Hope comes back.

HOPE

What are you trying to do here,

Amani? We can't-

AMANI

You need to work with me here!

HOPE

What?

AMANI

Do you want people to die?

HOPE

No.

AMANI

You know I save people, right?

HOPE

Yes.

AMANI  
I am going to save those people

But I have to get out of here.

Get those keys! Now. Just do

it now. Don't even think.

Hope rises again, and gets her hand up to Hastor's pocket.

AMANI (CTD)

You're doing just fine. It's just

Down there. Don't worry. Don't be

Nervous. One…two-

She goes on two, pulling out the keys easily enough, though trembling and nervous.

AMANI (CTD)

That's it! You did it! Just don't

Think about the rest. Put the keys

In my hand. It's all you need to do.

You can do it, Hope. It's easy.

Hope now suddenly hesitates and realizes the gravity of what she is doing.

AMANI (CTD)

What are you doing? It's already

done! Hope! Listen to me! You

did it! Come on, just give me the

keys! I'll save everyone. I'll

defend the city. This is it.

You can trust me. I came here to

save you.

Amani is suddenly silent as though a secret has nearly escaped her without her. Hope grits her teeth and puts the keys in Amani's hand. Amani grips hopes hand and flips it over showing the soul gem is half drained.

AMANI (CTD)

OK, Hope. This next bit is going

to be scary. But you have to

trust me.

HOPE

What do you mean scary?

AMANI

Trust me!

HOPE

What are you doing, Amani?

Amani lets go of Hope's hand and in that moment she disappears. The world returns to normal and the shackles drop empty to the table where they slide off to the floor. The sound of bodies hitting the floor as Hope suddenly freezes up for the worst. A machine gun fires. Hope turns to see Amani brandishing one of the soldier's assault rifles.

AMANI

Everyone! Hands in the air!

You! Off the car and move

Over there!

She runs, putting her gun in Hastor's face.

AMANI (CTD)

Move it! Over there, with the

rest of them! Line up! All of

you! Keep those hands up!

Interlock your fingers above

Your heads. Right now. Stay put

Hope, put your hands down.

The agents, Lemon and Hastor comply. Everyone is put at a standstill by Amani's action. A light is trickling up the side of Amani's soul gem. It is recharging to its full status. While it does Amani just holds everyone steady. The gun in the agent's faces, Hope, shocked and stuck in her chair. Amani looking down the sites of her weapon. Extreme close ups Sergio Leone spaghetti western stuff. The soul gem fully recharges.

AMANI

OK, everyone.

DIXON

Listen, terrorist scum our-

Amani points her rifle at him and approaches.

AMANI

Stick out your tongue and bite it!

Do it right now. Teeth and tongue!

Dixon complies.

AMANI (CTD)

Hope! The soldiers have all been

knocked out. Go over and disarm

them. Toss everything but the

clothes on their backs.

HOPE

Amani…

AMANI

Do it Hope!

Hope reluctantly follows the order and moves to the first soldier tossing off a wireless and a sidearm. She moves to the next soldier.

AMANI

The rest of you, take off your

Shirts and empty your pants

Pockets. Then show me your

backs. Toss all weapons.

DeWitt takes this opportunity to make a reach for his pistol. Just as he draws Amani vanishes and re-appears behind DeWitt. She fires her rifle which she has tucked alongside of DeWitt's thigh. The bullet shims across his leg and DeWitt collapses cupping the wound in pain. Amani steps back and away, refocusing her gun on the others. Hope trembles.

AMANI(CTD)

That's a graze. It's the last

Wounding shot I will fire.

Shirts off to your bare chest.

Hastor can keep her bra. That's

it. Pockets empty. Hope, when

you're done, there should be a

first aid kit in the truck. Get it.

She points the gun at Lemon and gestures to DeWitt.

AMANI

You! He gets stripped to his

Undies once you're done. Toss

His ankle pistol too.

The officers and agents strip their shirts and empty their pockets, guns, phones, keys and wallets spill to the floor along with the shirts and jackets. Hope comes over with the first aid kit.

HOPE

Here, Amani.

Amani takes and tosses it to Lemon with one motion.

AMANI

Treat the wound. You other two,

Each take one of those soldiers

and drag them into the cage.

Stay in there when you're done.

Dixon walks to the soldier then suddenly bolts for the door. Amani appears right in front of him and bats his face with the butt of the rifle. Amani points the rifle at the agent and he gets his hands up before he complies to drag a soldier. The unconscious soldiers are dragged into the cage. Lemon finishes patching DeWitt. Amani addresses Lemon

AMANI (CTD)

Stand up and get in the cage.

As for you, red shank, drag

yourself there.

DeWitt limps inside and the last knocked out soldier is taken inside the cage with Lemon and Amani points her gun therein.

AMANI (CTD)

Hope, shut the cage door.

Hope does nothing.

AMANI (CTD)

Now, Hope.

Hope walks to the door and lays her hand on it.

HASTOR

If you lock that door you will

Be an accessory to an act of

Terrorism.

Amani moves to the cage and aims right at Hastor

AMANI

She is not an accessory. She

Is my hostage…Say it.

HASTOR

She's a hostage.

AMANI

Hostage, close the door and lock it.

Hope closes the door and shuts it locked. Amani throws down her gun in relief. The prisoners run at the cage and rattle at the bars, jolting Hope back. They are screaming at her. Hope is getting to her limit at this point. Amani puts her hand on Hope's shoulder. This stabilizes her but she is not calm.

AMANI

Throw your phone into that pile.

Then get back to the truck.

Hope discards her phone with the officer's belongings then retreats. Amani walks over to the bomb. The caged prisoners are helpless as she absorbs the bomb back into her Soul Gem and walks confidently to the Humvee. She picks up the Humvee keys from the ground and jumps inside the cab. She starts the engine. (F2) Bon Jovi's "Living on a prayer" comes on the stereo and the lyrics "She says we've got to hold on to what we got" ring out as the vehicle rolls away from the warehouse. Hope is a blank. Amani is now stoic.

HOPE

I…I don't even know.

AMANI

Yes. It was scary. I told you

It would be. It's over now.

HOPE

I want to get out Amani.

AMANI

I'm sorry. We can't now.

One more day is all. I promise.

This is going to be over.

HOPE

Where are we going?

AMANI

We have to ditch the Truck and walk

for a distance but it's dark and we

can go unnoticed to the safe house

if we use my timeouts.

HOPE

What safe house?

AMANI

Joy's place. I've paid her

Bills and I've sent out

Mails in her parents name.

I told the school she's at a

Family Funeral in France.

Alsace-Lorraine. She's

supposed to come back to town

in the morning, but the storm

is going to cancel her flight.

HOPE

What storm?

A peal of thunder is heard. Hope looks to see lightning in the distance. The two are silent once more.

AMANI

Thank you for trusting me.

HOPE

Well, it's what you said, right?

I think if only-If only they knew

You are trying to save this city.

You're a hero and you're doing what

Is best for everyone. If only they

Knew that about you.

Amani suddenly stops the truck and pulls out the key to focus herself

HOPE

Amani?

AMANI

When I was nine I went out into

The yard and found an ant hill.

Red fire ants and their terrible

Little stings. Those bastards

in their hill. I kicked it over.

The next day it was rebuilt.

I did the same thing for three

days and on the fourth day I

sprayed it with the hose to get

rid of it. They built it even

larger. This city is no

different. No matter what

Walpurgisnacht does it won't go

away. So what's the point in

that? I don't care about this

place.

HOPE

Then why do you do what you do,

Amani? What are you fighting for?

AMANI

The storm is about to hit. Let's

Go so we don't get caught in the rain.

Amani starts the car again and drives to town.

Joy's apartment.

The door opens and the two girls walk in with nightlights lit. There is hardly any light as outside wind is heard picking up and thunder is distant.

AMANI

We walked about four miles from

The truck, so I can tell you're

Tired. You can lie down.

HOPE

OK.

Hope sits on the couch for a moment before laying out. She sees the book on the floor. Hope opens it on the living room table, turning on the desk lamp and on the inside cover it is written 'To Joy, this book changed my life. It's a little out there but read it and you'll totally get me, you know? –Charity-' Hope shuts the book as Amani closes the drapes, turns off the light Hope was using and sits in a chair across the table.

AMANI

We have to keep the lights off.

No TV. No music. I'm unplugging

The wi-fi. You can read or draw.

No using the appliances or

Microwave. Not risking the smoke

Detectors going off. Stay quiet.

Wear slippers when you walk and

Don't speak too loudly. If you can

hear water in the building's pipes

then you can use the bathroom or

shower. The bathroom doesn't have

windows so you can use the lights

in there but switch them off before

you leave the room. Don't open any

of the drapes or walk too close to

the windows.

HOPE  
Do you have what you need?

AMANI

Yes. I'm ready.

The two stare at one another as rain begins to pelt the side of the window.

HOPE

Show me how many Grief seeds you have.

Amani stares at Hope for a moment before she stands.

AMANI

It's late. You should sleep.

Joy's bed is-the bed is down the

Hall. Use any clothes you want.

Hope sets a grief seed on the table in front of Amani.

HOPE

Use this.

AMANI

Where did you get it?

HOPE

She was my best friend.

Shaken to her core Hope rises and leaves down the hall.

HOPE (CTD)

Good night.

AMANI

Sweet dreams.

Amani watches as the door closes behind Hope. As soon as the door is shut Amani rushes to the grief seed. She forms her soul gem of dark, murky purple and injects the seed. She doubles over in pain as the taint seeps out of the gem. Amani makes a fist and bites into the knuckles to stop herself from making a sound. When finally done Amani removes the seed, on the verge of tears when she hears Hope. Hope cries uncontrollably down the hall and Amani sits up and stares at the door longingly for a moment.

ARVESS

That was close.

Amani spins around to see the angel in chiaroscuro, darkened, silhouetted, foreboding staring at her across the table.

ARVESS (CTD)

You used so much of your energy

To escape from those people with

Badges. I thought for sure you'd

Never make it out. Once a soul

Gem starts to crack it can't be

Repaired, even with time magic

and you just barely caught it.

AMANI

Why are you here, Harvester?

ARVESS

This is the only place I can be.

A potential who will reap us more

Energy than ever before,

Walpurgisnacht on its way, the

Mysterious time puella with all

The secrets hidden inside of her.

Where else do I belong?

Arvess' Halo untethers from his head and opens into an inter-dimensional pit in front of Amani. Murky dark curses flow in an endless vortex within with foreboding terrible wails of grief.

ARVESS

You drained it. Throw it in.

Amani looks at the grief seed. The details have sunken in and before her very eyes the injector needle withdraws and all that remains is a carbon black sphere. With an ambivalent nod Amani holds the sphere over the void and drops it. The sphere does not drop but lingers as though in a vortex before rapidly spinning and being broken into pieces and sucked away into the abyss. Arvess' Halo returns to normal.

AMANI

You're done here.

ARVESS

Her suffering is in there now.

It no longer belongs to her or anyone.

Formless and assimilated to the

Void, indistinct. A single drop into

An ocean of the final tears of dying

eyes, mixed together a sea of sadness

That will never end.

AMANI

Enough.

ARVESS

You know it will be the same for you.

You will be sent into that place forever

and ever. That girl down the hall, I

will grant her wish. What you have just

done she will do to you.

AMANI

Leave me.

ARVESS

Then someday another puella will do it to her.

AMANI

(At the top of her lungs)

GET OUT!

The rain pelts, the wind blows and the thunder resounds. Hope sobs. Amani is enraged. Arvess' Halo opens again, this time with a shaft of light that floods the room.

ARVESS

Our entire society is in

Anticipation. We can't wait

To see what happens.

Personally, I'd rather find

Out how this all started.

We'll speak again once I've

Figured that out. Savor what

You have because your time is

Short. Actually, your time is

Always short, isn't it?

Arvess enters the Halo which collapses thereafter. Amani, head in hands regains her composure as outside the storm grows in ferocity and Hope weeps down the hall.

AMANI

Hope.

Credits


	8. Peace

Chenalos presents

A 14 rivers play for the screen

Based upon Puella Magi Madoka Magica

The Magic of Hope

Episode 7: Peace

Chenalos

ChenalosFiction

Teaser

(G1) "If I didn't care" by the Ink Spots plays softly in a fade up to a hospital bed where, groggily Amani rouses from sleep. The music is coming from her desk alarm clock. Her long, plaited hair is done up all in a bun with ribbons. She is weak and weary. She opens her gown slightly to touch the mostly healed, stitched surgical wound on her chest. She looks at a calendar on the wall which show's she'll be going to school in a week then buttons up and reaches for her glasses before stepping over to the window, looking out at a fresh new day. Her breathing becomes shallow, and she cups the wound once more. She takes a seat to rest herself.

AMANI

How much more?

More there will be? More I

Can take?

She hangs her head.

TITLE

PEACE

End of teaser.

Intro.

ACT 1

Joy's apartment. Hope awakens in bed and walks to the kitchen. Amani pours over a map of Rhapsody bay. Arrows and times are written on the map indicating Walpurgisnacht's path through the city. She reaches into a bowl of dry cereal and has what appears to be orange juice in front of her.

AMANI

Did you sleep?

HOPE

Yeah. More like passed out.

You?

AMANI

On and off.

HOPE

OK.

AMANI

The milk was no good and the

Bread was stale. Sorry, but if

You want breakfast all I can

Recommend is this cereal. Lunch

Will be better.

Amani sips from the drink.

HOPE

Well, we've got orange juice

At least.

AMANI

We don't. This isn't orange

juice.

HOPE

What? Mango juice?

AMANI

Mixed raw eggs. Three of them.

HOPE

Oh, OK.

AMANI

Thirsty?

HOPE

I'll pass.

Hope sits and looks over the map.

HOPE(CTD)

Want to walk me through it?

AMANI

You don't need to know.

HOPE

But I'm not doing anything else.

Amani breathes out a sigh.

AMANI

Tomorrow you go home. Your

House is sturdy and it's on the

High ground. You should be safe.

HOPE

Worst case situation?

AMANI

Alright, fine. Walpurgisnacht

Appears here, above the bay.

It moves quickly over the wharf

District then just downtown. It

Will drift north over Jackson Grove.

The core inside will materialize there

And then immediately rupture. When

it does, she shatters, releases all

The Karmic energy she stores and the

Magic will focus on a fault miles

Off shore. Quake, then tidal wave.

HOPE

Jesus Christ.

AMANI

Once she appears I'll have 20

Minutes, tops to destroy the core.

With that gone the chain reaction

Can't trigger and it will all

Dissipate.

HOPE

What happens then?

AMANI

It's over.

HOPE

What do you mean dissipate?

AMANI

The familiars break up and go

Back into the world.

HOPE

What do you mean, break up?

You kill this thing right?

AMANI

Well it goes away if that's

What you mean. For a while.

HOPE

You aren't talking about destroying

It. You're just breaking it up. I

mean won't it just come back again

someday?

AMANI

Not any time soon.

HOPE  
When it does, won't it just blow up

somewhere else?

AMANI

Nowhere near here.

HOPE  
This isn't a solution, Amani.

AMANI

I know that, Hope. By now you should

know Puella don't have solutions. We

only have problems. Even if I beat

her the day will come when she returns

stronger than before. If I don't

do anything she'll vanish along

with hundreds of people. Should I not

even bother? You tell me.

Hope gets up and pours a glass of water and Amani looks back down at her map.

AMANI (CTD)

Sorry I'm so informal now.

HOPE  
Informal?

AMANI

Do you mind if I just call you Hope?

HOPE

Go ahead.

With a nod Amani refocuses again. She closes her eyes.

HOPE (V.O)

You can call me Hope.

Everyone does.

Classroom. Pencil halves hit the floor. Ms Perry is on the inside. Nerdy Amani on the other side of the door is breathing to calm herself, and she feels a biting sensation in her chest.

MS PERRY

Well, with that out of the way, we have

a new classmate joining us today. Please

Welcome Miss Amani Milele Stanton.

Amani timidly steps inside and nods to the class nervously.

MS PERRY

Amani is coming to us from a hospital

I won't go into details but she's

recovering from a successful treatment

now so she may need a breather once in

a while. I hope you'll all be good

friends with her.

AMANI

Um…I'm…Amani…Stanton

Amani tries to cover a weak, nervous cough. Hope peeks her head out from behind her row and looks Amani in the eye. Amani looks away nervously. MS Perry has misspelled "Ahmane" on the board. Amani looks back and shrugs.

Later the girls are in class and Amani is taking notes. She glances over to Hope. Hope notices and gives her a peace sign, to which Amani goes right back to work awkwardly.

Study hall. Amani is surrounded by 4 Fashionistas. Prudence and Hope are here.

FASHIONISTA 1

Why'd you spend so much time braiding

Your hair if you were going to tie it

Up?

AMANI

My hair is…well it can be difficult-

FASHIONISTA 2

I like that you don't use neutrals in

Your clothes. But do you think it might

Be a little too bright?

AMANI

Well, it was in my drawer, so…

FASHIONISTA 1

Do you like hip-hop?

Hope walks over.

HOPE

Hey, guys. I'm the health officer

In Amani's Homeroom so I have to

Show her the nurse's office real

Quick.

The girls shrug and walk away. Amani breathes a sigh of relief that the social pressure is off.

HOPE (CTD)

Amani?

Amani is jolted back to attention, though her anxiety is not abated.

AMANI

What?

HOPE

The nurse's office is this way.

Come on!

Hope leads Amani through the halls.

AMANI

I'm sorry you have to do this.

HOPE

I don't mind. I'm a people person

So getting to meet someone new is

Always good for me. There aren't

Many POC in this school so it may

Feel lonely for you, but nobody

Will be unfriendly. Promise.

AMANI

OK.

HOPE

I like your name. Ah-Ma-Ni very

Smooth sounding. It kind of flows.

AMANI

It means Peace.

HOPE

Oh, what was I thinking? I'm

Hope DelSoro. You can call me Hope.

Everyone does.

Amani walks behind her still awkward and anxious. After a brief pause she brings the name to her lips.

AMANI

DelSoro.

HOPE

Yeah, you can call me that. I

guess. Hope is fine too.

AMANI

OK.

HOPE  
Yeah. So Hope Or DelSoro or both

Whatever.

They walk into a sky bridge.

AMANI

I don't like my name.

Still leading the way, Hope suddenly turns on her heels to face Amani and her posture is almost aggressive, and her voice is more present.

HOPE

Don't say that. You're the only

Amani I've ever met. Probably

The only one I'll ever meet.

AMANI  
It's too Ethnic-sounding, DelSoro.

I didn't get a normal name.

HOPE

Hey. Normal is boring and overrated.

You're unique, right? I think

That will always be better than Normal.

Amani turns away and looks out a window.

AMANI

Then you don't know what it's like.

I'm adopted. My foster parents and

I don't get along. We're…nothing

alike. The surgery I needed was

expensive and it's made living at

home worse in a way. I think it

all the time…If I was normal…

If only…I wouldn't be a burden.

HOPE

I didn't know you meant it like

That. I can see what you're saying.

I'm pretty normal. Probably

wouldn't trade that for anything.

It would be best if everyone had

That kind of a normal life where

You don't have big problems.

Hope looks at her soul gem ring as though she missed an opportunity to make things better than they are. Amani catches her looking at the ring.

AMANI

The world just doesn't work that way.

HOPE

Let's do something normal, then.

Just the two of us.

AMANI

What?

HOPE

Let's go bowling.

AMANI

Huh?

HOPE

That's something normal people

Do together. I haven't bowled

In like forever. It reminds me of

Birthday parties, so I like it.

AMANI

I don't know.

HOPE

Come on, what have you got to

Lose? Come out with me.

Let's be friends.

AMANI

I can't.

Amani turns away.

HOPE

Amani, the nurse's office.

AMANI

I'll find it later. I'm sorry.

Amani flees down a corridor to find solitude leaving Hope alone on the bridge.

Gym class. Outdoors. Amani Struggles to run as Hope and Amity pass her. The coach blows a whistle.

COACH

Stanton! Don't overexert

Yourself. Take five.

Amani walks off the field and into the shadow of a tree, breathing heavily. She's humiliated. A witch's kiss appears on her neck.

AMANI (V.O.)

Why do I bother?

Street. Amani wanders alone. A girls voice is heard audibly whispering in the background.

AMANI (V.O. CTD)

I'm doing no good and I'm

Bringing everyone down.

It would be better…

VOICE (V.O.)

It would be better if you

Weren't here.

AMANI (V.O.)

That's right.

VOCIE (V.O.)

The best would be if you

Were never born at all.

AMANI  
That's right.

Amani is now walking on the crooked scrawling of the ground of a witch's labyrinth.

VOICE (V.O.)

But you can't change the past

So it would be best if you just died.

AMANI (V.O.)

That's right.

Amani's eyes are glazed over and the reflection of the labyrinth in her glasses grows more twisted. She is unaware that familiars in the shape of dancing soda and condiment bottles are gathering around her and following her on the path.

VOICE (V.O.)

It would be so good if you died

Because That way you won't cause

any more trouble for anyone.

AMANI (V.O.)

That's right.

VOICE (V.O.)

Everyone will be more happy when

You're gone.

AMANI (V.O.)

That's right.

VOICE (V.O.)

It's a good thing you came here.

(G2) "Rosada" by Code Anchor begins to play. Amani looks up suddenly. The city is gone. The ground is a jagged red path leading to a Victorian arch that rests on the edge of a cliff. The name "Inez" appears in runes. The sky is yellow. The ground is twisted with scrawling. She is terrified as a stake shoots from behind her. Small yellow wires like golden fishing line unravel from the stake and wrap her legs to the bottom and arms to the top. She is helpless when the stake opens like a pair of scissors and locks her body in a helpless, almost sacrificial "X". A cart emerges from the ground and the familiars push Amani up the path and under the arch to send her off the cliff's edge. Just when all is lost a familiar yellow blast comes from behind and shatters the restraints on Amani. She leaps from the cart and it falls away into the Chasm. The familiars scatter as they are torn to pieces by yellow and pink magical energy blasts. Amani looks back to see Joy and Hope in their Puella Magi forms. Joy is bearing her familiar arsenal of muskets and Hope bears a magical bow and arrow. This is when the song gets loud.

JOY

I'll get her out of danger.

You push the witch back.

HOPE

Right! We'll be right there, Amani!

JOY

Here we go.

This is when the song picks up beat. Fireworks shoot out of the arch. Hope and Joy dodge them all while sending volleys back and chipping away at the arch. A firework blows up under Hope and she is thrown Face down in front of Amani.

AMANI

DelSoro!

Hope winks, smiles, rolls and springs up over Amani to get in front of her. She draws her bow and fires a blast at the arch, destroying a statue sculpted upon it. The witch screams and from inside the chasm unfurls more land with a continuing path on it. The arch retreats up this path firing rockets as it goes. The rockets are about to close in and Amani instinctively covers herself when Joy jumps in and spreads a canopy of ribbons over the trio. The fireworks impact but the three are unharmed. Joy is focused on the witch. Hope looks back at Amani.

HOPE

Don't worry, Amani. We'll

Take care of this. It's our

Duty to protect you.

JOY

No time to talk, Hope. This one

Is not getting away.

HOPE

Let's go!

The barrier opens for the two Puella Magi and they run full speed firing as fireworks land all around. Joy takes a stand, cocks her rifle intently, letting Hope run ahead. She takes aim and fires a charged ribbon shot at the arch. It hits at the crest of the arch and uwraps, raveling all around the arch. At the impact point of the crest two ribbons at the top pull apart two statues of women dancers, revealing underneath a red-glowing weak spot.

JOY

Hope! There!

Hope smiles, stops, knocks a shot, takes aim and fires, hitting the weak spot dead center. With a chilling girls scream the Arch crumbles and the Labyrinth disappears leaving a grief seed behind. The song ends as Amani, still sitting on the ground stunned gazes upon an impossible magic she'd never imagined.

AMANI

DelSoro?

HOPE

This must be very strange

For you. The truth is, I've

Been given magic abilities

To save people.

JOY

We are the protectors of this

City from witches who attack the

Innocent.

ARVESS

Amani Milele Stanton, you too

Have the ability to use magic

As you have just seen.

Arvess descends and rests on a window frame.

AMANI

Me?

ARVESS

Make a contract with me and

Become Puella Magi.

Amani Rises and looks at her classmates with amazement. Bowling pins strike.

Bowling alley, (G3) "Lovely day" by Bill Withers is playing overhead on the alley's stereo. Amani pulls back her wind up and sends a purple roller down the middle. She takes down 5 of the 7 pins left standing. Hope cheers and then records the pins as Amani smiles and goes back to sit next to her.

HOPE

My turn.

Hope gets up, retrieves her blue and green ball and rolls. The sound blends into a roll of thunder which blends pelting rain and howling wind.

Puella Amani looks through the closed translucent drapes at the storm outside, lost in the memories she is re-experiencing. With a sigh and a nod she returns her focus to her task. She places an empty magazine into the slot of the wooden ammo loader and dumps a box of ammunition into the loader's well. Quickly she lines up the bullets in the slot of the loader and when it is full she slides the stack of rounds into the magazine. She takes the magazine and slaps it into one of a stack of assault rifles, then loads the chamber. She brings the rifle to her soul gem where it is immediately drawn in. She picks up a new empty magazine and begins a repetition of the process. Hope walks in from another room. Amani does not break her focus from the task.

AMANI

Done reading?

HOPE

Yeah. For now.

AMANI

Do you want anything?

HOPE

No.

AMANI

OK.

Amani starts loading 9mm rounds into handgun magazines. More thunder and wind and rain resounds from outside.

HOPE

Do you know what Arvess said to me?

AMANI

It's best if you don't listen to that thing.

HOPE

He told me you're going to

Be killed. There's no way

To survive Walpurgisnacht.

AMANI

As I said. Don't listen to

That thing. He tries to sound

Harmless or helpful, but all he

Wants is to manipulate and

exploit you.

HOPE

I want to know is if he's lying.

He's hidden things from us, true,

but he's never lied.

AMANI

He doesn't know the future, either.

HOPE

Are you going to die, Amani?

Amani stops what she is doing, she sets down the bullets and magazine. Then with her left hand she moves her soul gem towards Hope on the table. Without looking Hope in the eyes she starts tapping on the top of soul gem with her pointer finger in half second intervals while still holding it on the table. After twenty taps she stops and looks Hope in the eye as if to say it's just a matter of time. She puts the Soul gem back to where it was, loads a mag, slides it into a handgun, locks, loads and stores the gun in her soul gem. Later she is loading rounds into a .357 magnum revolver.

HOPE

You have a lot of firepower don't you?

AMANI

It's a pain. I lose them every night

So I have to get them again every morning.

HOPE

But, don't you need them for tomorrow?

AMANI

It's a figure of speech. Never mind.

Later Amani is loading Shells into a shotgun.

HOPE

Tell me about yourself, Amani.

AMANI

What do you want to know?

HOPE

Anything. I'm just listening.

AMANI

You mean what I like and what I don't?

HOPE

That would work.

AMANI

OK. Yeah. I'll tell you that.

HOPE

Well, start with what you don't like.

AMANI  
I hate guns.

HOPE

Guns?

AMANI

These horrible, horrible things.

Always cold. Pick one up and the

first thing you feel, every time

is that little bite of cold metal

finished wood, or dead plastic. They're

heavy; big Steel parts that weigh down

your hands. Holding them straight,

walking around with them you get sick

and tired. But the longer you hold

them, the warmer they get. As you fire

them you get used to how heavy they are

and how hard they kick. Your body heat

goes into them a little at a time.

Your muscles become accustomed and guns

are more familiar. An extension, a

part of you, like A pair of glasses.

That mundane. But you pull the trigger

and after the bang and flash

with your ears ringing and sniffing

that smell of gunpowder you look and

there's a hole in whatever or whoever

you were pointing at. You see what

you've done and look at what you have

become. I hate guns.

She resumes loading the shotgun pile. Hope gets up and sits on the opposite side of Amani at the coffee table.

HOPE

What do you like, Amani?

Amani stops again.

AMANI

Hm.

HOPE

If you hate guns what do you like?

You're surrounding yourself with

Something you hate. You must like

something else a whole lot to do that.

AMANI

Hope. You're distracting me.

HOPE

I'm just asking a question.

AMANI

I want to get this done before lunch.

HOPE

What, more dry cereal?

AMANI

Warm food, I promise.

HOPE

OK. I am waiting for an answer, though.

Hope leaves and Amani puts down the gun. Leaning on the table she looks up. Amani's eyes gaze as her memories reach far into the past. The setting becomes the same place in a different time. Joy and Hope are sitting at the table. The room is well lit and it is night. The two girls smile at her.

HOPE

So do you want to become a Puella?

Nerdy Amani is seated across from the girls.

AMANI

I don't know. I just need a wish?

HOPE

Didn't you say you'd rather be

normal?

AMANI

I guess, but-

HOPE

This might be your chance to get

The normal life you want. You can

Be healed. You'll never go to the

Nurse again.

JOY

Now hang on, Hope. Being Puella

Magi is anything but normal.

I need to warn you, Amani.

Everything changes. You'll be a

completely new person.

ARVESS  
You will also be stronger and

More capable than normal people.

You can do what no one else can.

Most Puella think it's absolutely

Amazing.

HOPE

Oh, Arvess, you're such a little salesman.

ARVESS

It's in her best interest. That's

What I'm here for.

JOY

Still, it's best for her to know

All about what it means to be Puella.

Joy places the grief seed from the fight onto the table. Hope and Joy look at one another. Hope picks up the seed.

HOPE

I'll show her.

ARVESS  
You can make a wish any time you

Want, even now, it's easy!

HOPE

Amani, if you become puella you

Have to do this.

Hope injects and twists the seed and collapses with a yelp of pain. Amani rushes over to her and Hope collapses in Amani's arms.

AMANI

DelSoro! DelSoro! What's wrong?

HOPE

Ow. OW. AAAAAAAAAH. Aaah.

AMANI

Oh my God. Stop it stop it. Please stop.

JOY

Hang on, Amani. Just watch.

The taint leaves Hope's pink gem and she extracts the seed with a gasp. On the verge of tears Hope composes herself in Amani's arms and then sits upright.

HOPE

There you go. It has to be done

To cleanse my soul gem. See?

Look how bright it is now.

Furious, Amani turns to Arvess.

AMANI

You made her like this?

This is your fault!

ARVESS  
I granted her wish. You shouldn't

be judgmental about opportunities

just because there are also

responsibilities.

AMANI

Change her back! What you're doing

Is wrong!

ARVESS

Is that your wish? Would you like

To take her place? I can grant it.

Just tell me so.

Suddenly disgusted and outraged Amani gets up and storms out of the apartment. She cries running through the night.

AMANI (V.O.)

How could this happen? She doesn't

Deserve this!

Joy and Hope watch Amani run through the night.

JOY

Well, Hope. It's just us, I guess.

HOPE (smiles)

I don't blame her. But I'm not

Worried, either. I'm sure we'll be

Just fine together.

Joy puts her hand over Hope's shoulder in a big-sister kind of way. Hope rests her head on Joy's shoulder.

Storm. Clouds obscure a silhouette of Walpurgisnacht. Skyscrapers ripped into the sky float weightlessly about and a great leafless tree has sprung up spreading into the sky. "Softness, Goodness" by Starflyer 59 plays in the BG. Amani kneels at Joy's body and Hope stands nearby. Hope folds the arms of Joy's body into a restful position, before standing.

HOPE

I'm going.

AMANI

Going?

HOPE

I have to defeat it.

AMANI

What are you talking about? Joy is

Dead! That thing swatted her down

Like a bug!

HOPE

All the more reason I have to fight

In her place.

AMANI

You won't make it, DelSoro.

HOPE

I am Puella magi. I will fight

To the very end. If the end is

Now then I will meet it headfirst

Head on and head held high.

Amani weeps over the body of Joy but not for Joy, but the thought of Hope's demise.

AMANI

Let's run away. There's nothing

That can be done here. You can't

Beat that thing. It's just going

To kill you. Turn back. No one

Will know but us and even if everyone

Knew nobody would blame you. You

Don't have to do it.

HOPE

Amani. You were the first person

I ever saved from a witch. I'd

Fought them before, but seeing you

Saved from inside a Labyrinth made

me realize I made the right choice.

If going into that Labyrinth meant

I would die, but you survived I

wouldn't turn away. That's why I

can't turn away now. Saving you

is the best thing I ever did. It's

what I wanted the most and I don't regret it.

AMANI

DelSoro.

HOPE

It's going to be alright, Amani.

Take care!

Hope turns and leaps into the air, flying at the silhouette.

AMANI

No! Come back!

There is a distant battle of magic as pink and fiery orange lights blast about in the clouds. After a great orange shock the battle ceases and a moment later a fading pink light drops from the sky like a falling star or single tear. The light fades like an ember before it can hit the ground. The Shadow of Walpurgisnacht imprints into the cloud, coal black, and from its head explodes, spreading out over the city. The expanding sphere replaces the city with the flooded ruins of a disaster area.

The song is still playing, rain still falling as Amani weeps over the dead body of Hope, submerged in the flooded ruins of a destroyed building.

AMANI

I told you! There was nothing

You could do. It didn't have

To be this way! Why did you have

To go, DelSoro? It would have

Been better if I had died instead!

ARVESS

Do you mean that, Amani Milele Stanton?

Amani looks up to see the angel perched atop a broken chunk of wall.

AMANI

What?

ARVESS

Is it true that you would rather

Die than accept this? If so, I

Can give you a way. You will

get exactly what you want. If

you have a wish that is worth your

soul then make a contract with me

and become Puella Magi.

Amani clears her eyes and then re-affixes her glasses. She stands from the body of Hope.

AMANI

I want to re-live my time with

Hope DelSoro. I want to prevent

This from happening. I don't

Want her to save me! I want to

Save her!

Like a perverse god Arvess stares down at Amani, but Amani's confidence never wavers. Suddenly, Amani is jolted by a sharp pain in her chest. She convulses backwards and a brilliant violet light the size of an egg emerges from her chest.

ARVESS

The karma of your wish is strong.

You are now tapped into the Cleoneum

And are granted your magic. Take

Your soul gem into your hand and

Seize the world you desire!

Amani does so and magical light surrounds her. A flash brings about her gleaming buckler shield which opens and inverts, flipping the magical sands it contains and tearing into a time-warp that whisks Amani away into brilliant blinding light. The music ends.

She awakes in her Hospital Bed with (G1) "If I didn't care" by the Ink Spots playing in the background on her desk alarm clock. She sits up and puts on her glasses to see she has a week before she goes to school. She turns to see her soul gem resting on the mantle. Her smile can only be called elated.

ACT 2

Joy's Kitchen. Hope is reading. She wipes her eyes. The two have been hiding from one another. Hope has slipped off to cry several times and is trying to keep it from Amani. Amani enters and sits.

AMANI

Book any good?

HOPE

Don't know. I haven't retained

Anything. Just top. Bottom. Next.

I haven't learned a thing.

AMANI

So why bother?

HOPE

It passes the time.

AMANI

Passes the time. My god.

HOPE

Lunch right?

AMANI

Yeah. Here.

She holds up her soul gem and two cardboard boxes appear on the kitchen table. The girls open the boxes and inside are plastic wrapped bronze-colored packets with the big words MRE written on them. Hope examines one.

HOPE

This is food?

AMANI

You support the troops?

HOPE  
Yeah. My Uncle Daryl served in

Afghanistan.

Amani taps the top box.

AMANI  
This is what he was eating. I have

All 24 flavors of the US army in 2016.

All you need to do is follow the

instructions and in ten minutes

You get a hot lunch and a few hours

Later we'll have dinner.

Amani unpacks the boxes as Hope shrugs.

HOPE

Do you have anything vegetarian?

This is astonishing to Amani.

AMANI

I didn't know you were a vegetarian.

HOPE

Do you?

AMANI

Sure. Cheese pasta sound good?

HOPE

Let's do.

They shuffle through the boxes and Hope extracts all her little MRE packets. Amani goes to a kitchen drawer to find binder clips. Hope opens her MRE heating bag and pulls out the white packet inside.

HOPE

Looks like a panty pad. Is this

Supposed to be edible?

Hope is about to put the white pack in her mouth when Amani jumps to stay her hand.

AMANI  
Hope, If you eat that it will

react with your saliva and literally

cook your tongue while it's still in

your mouth.

Hope sets down the quicklime packet.

HOPE

What is it doing in a box with my

Food?

AMANI

Just let me handle lunch.

Amani tosses the food packets and quicklime pouches into the heating bags, pours in water and closes the bags with binder clips that she hangs up over the sink. The bags fizzle and boil and are soon warm and done. Amani dishes out the food on plates and serves. The two eat lunch awkwardly.

HOPE

Are you ready to die?

AMANI

What do you mean?

HOPE

Tomorrow.

AMANI

That's not part of the equation.

HOPE

You mean you're not planning to?

AMANI

I mean I'm not even thinking about it.

HOPE

You're not nervous?

AMANI

Of course I am, but not about me.

I've just got to kill the fucking

Thing. If I die winning then the

job is done.

HOPE

What if you can't kill it?

Amani sits back, reflectively.

AMANI

If I can't kill it, I'll try

Something else. As long as my

Soul gem doesn't crack I have

Options. But if nothing

Works, I mean-really-nothing

Works then I have to accept

My fate. Some would call it

Worse than death.

HOPE

How so?

AMANI

Charity told me this. Her favorite

Philosopher was Camus. She said Camus

Felt humanity's suffering was like a

Greek myth called Sisyphus. A king

is ordered by the Gods to roll a heavy

boulder up a hill. Every time he gets

close to the top the boulder will

magically fall back down to the bottom.

Arrogant and defiant he starts all over.

He rolls the boulder up the hill forever.

But he never ever rolls it up to the top.

I feel like that all the time. Part of

Me thinks it's pointless. That I

Should give up and stop. But the Gods

are too clever. They know how to force

My hand back onto the rock.

The two look into one another's eyes. Amani Fidgets with her Soul Gem ring. (G5) The Car's "My best friends Girl"

School Hallway. Nerdy Amani Fidgets her Ring, smiling as she anxiously awaits her introduction from the hallway. From Ms Perry inside is introducing her.

MS PERRY

Well, with that out of the way, we have

a new classmate joining us today. Please

Welcome Miss Amani Milele Stanton.

Amani rushes in and takes Hope's hands.

AMANI

DelSoro! I made my wish! I'm here to help.

HOPE

Oh. Ok.

Hope grimaces while Amani smiles broadly and the class responds to the non sequitur of the event.

Underpass. Joy and Hope watch as Nerdy Amani, with a girly battle cry charges a steel oil drum with a golf club.

AMANI

Here I go!

Here she comes again. She activates her time device as a flock of birds fly away. Vignette shots with desaturated colors except for Amani. The birds are frozen in midair as Amani attacks the drum. The first swing skims off the top of the rim. Amani loses her footing and falls over. She gets up, and hits the drum again, but with the rod of the club causing a small ding. She swings to hit the Drum with the head and bashes a dent into it with a confident smile of understanding of the technique. She steps back and bashes the Drum into a mangled husk of metal. The time on her shield wears out and normal time resumes. The drum husk hits the ground, the birds fly away and Amani rests herself, hyperventilating and exerted to her limit. Joy looks at the results of Amani's ability.

HOPE

What do you think, Joy?

JOY

Time magic, huh? The ability

Is there but you'll need a lot

More punch if you are going to

Fight witches.

Unprepared for this criticism Amani nods and formulates a new plan in her head.

Amani's room. With the computer on she has the Anarchist's cookbook clearly on display. She drills a hole in a metal pipe lid and inserts a spark plug. She wires up a computer board delayed fuse with battery. She hits a button on the board, a light flashes, goes green and a spark jumps across the bride of the plug. She smiles at the results. She pours nitrate fertilizer into a cardboard tube and drops the tube into a wider metal pipe then pours black powder into the pipe until it is full before screwing on the fuse top.

Blue sky. Strings suspended with clothes hung on them. Amani, Joy and Hope are suspended on them like tightropes. Joy Runs freely, Hope Hops from line to line and Amani clutches at the strings on all fours terrified of falling. The witch is shown hands emerging from a series of skirts, clutching the lines like a spider. The name "Patricia" appears in Runes. Hope fires a volley of magical arrow shots at the witch. From the sky fall the skirted lower halves of girls who wear Ice skates. Joy jumps to avoid them and whips forth her yellow ribbon. She binds together several strands of the Ribbon into a bridge suspended on the strings.

JOY  
Amani! Your turn!

AMANI

Right.

Amani leaps onto the bridge and withdraws her pipe bomb. While running she activates the time stop. Amani activates the delayed fuse and leaps into the air at the witch, tossing the bomb into the skirt of the witch. She falls down and the time stop ends. The bomb explodes, killing the witch and the Labyrinth vanishes.

While falling a yellow Ribbon comes under Amani and cradles her. She looks up in the fading world to see the witch vaporizing.

AMANI

I did it?

Hope leaps at Amani with a full on hug.

HOPE  
You did it!

Hope smothers Nerdy Amani with affection and celebration as Joy looks on, smiling. Amani's demeanor lightens to optimism, maybe for the first time. The song fades as the solo begins.

The Shadow of Walpurgisnacht imprints into the cloud, coal black, and from its head explodes, spreading out over the city. The expanding sphere replaces the city with the flooded ruins of a disaster area.

In the flooded, crumbled Ruins, Hope is clutching her Soul Gem which is Shattering beyond Hope's control. Amani looks on trying to keep her stable as she convulses.

AMANI

DelSoro! Hang on. What's wrong?

HOPE

No. This can't be. What's going on?

AMANI

What are you talking about? DelSoro

Talk to me.

Hope's eyes go white. She pushes Amani away and with one hand thrusts her soul gem up and screams. Her body is absorbed into the gem as it shatters completely, and opens into a grief seed.

AMANI

No. DelSoro! DelSoro!

The Grief seed rushes into the sky where a new witch is formed, as large and ominous as the face of a falling god with huge black tendrils like bent reeds that fill the silhouette of a dress. Runes reading "Kremhild Gretchen" appear. The witch's gigantic Arms reach up to the heavens, as though begging for mercy. The city, far and wide is ripped out of the ground and begins floating away to a new Labyrinth opening in the sky. Amani looks on in horror. Blackout.

(G1) 'If I didn't care' by the Ink Spots plays softly in a fade up to a hospital bed where Amani, her eyes still racked in terror sits up and reaches for her glasses. Trembling she reaches for her glasses and looks over at her Soul gem realizing she's made a terrible mistake.

AMANI

We all turn into witches. Arvess

Tricked us. I have to tell them.

Smash cut to a warehouse where Amani, Joy, Prudence and Hope all as Puella are gathered.

PRUDENCE

That doesn't make any sense.

AMANI

I'm telling you the truth.

When Soul gems reach their limit

They turn into grief seeds.  
That's where the witches come

From, they were all once Puella Magi.

PRUDENCE

You're telling us this because you

Came from the future and you know that  
Arvess is the one behind it all?

AMANI

Yes.

PRUDENCE

Ok, setting the time travel aside

Why have us fight ourselves? Arvess

Can't be on both sides at once.

I think you're just saying this

Stuff because you're in cahoots

With that Charity girl who keeps

Hassling me. Who's side are you on?

AMANI

There are no sides. It's just us.

Witches and Puella are the same.

PRUDENCE

You really think that after all

The witches we've fought that

There's no enemy?

JOY

Prudence, we don't have any evidence

One way or the other. Amani, even

If you're right it's too late now

Because we are already involved.

We've made our wishes, right?

AMANI

I guess you're right.

JOY  
That's why I think it would be

Best if we all just stuck together

Like this and keep going just as we

Have. No matter what happens we can

Rely on one another. Prudence?

PRUDENCE

This quartet is not working for me,

Joy. I don't like being around her.

It's not even her whole conspiracy

Theory. It's because at any moment

She could vanish and the next thing

You know, boom! I don't want to die

To some pipe bomb explosion.

JOY

Can you use some other weapons, Amani?

AMANI

I don't even like these bombs. You

Guys got magical weapons I have

To scrounge everything together.

Plus I'll lose it all if I go back.

Blowing things up is bad enough but…

Guns?

HOPE

I know you don't want to, Amani,

But it would really help us out.

I agree with Prudence. Will you

Do it for me?

(G6) An edited version of Dante's Club's "Anything you want" starts playing for the proceeding montage. Amani walks up to a gun store. Two men talk over a counter as Amani sneaks away some hand guns from under the display case. She turns and takes some rifles and shotguns. Cut to night in a parking lot. Prudence shoves Joy to the ground, defiantly. Hope rushes to her aid and Charity steps up with her spear pointed at Prudence. Prudence backs away smiling at Charity but as she crosses paths with Amani her expression becomes serious, as though she has realized the truth of what Amani told her. The two remain in eye contact as Prudence steps beyond a pool of light from a street lamp and disappears into the night. Amani's scared, sorry expression is haunting. She raises up a gun and begins firing. It's revealed she is actually firing at Oktavia, Prudence's witch form. She runs to her left just as wagon wheels from Octavia rush by. Joy fires her muskets at the witch trying to stun her. Octavia raises her hand and bats joy to the ground.

CHARITY

This isn't working, Joy!

Charity is struck back into the theatre seats. Hope dodges the rushing wagon wheels by only inches as she makes her way forward.

HOPE

Prudence! It's us! Snap out of it!

A wheel strikes her squarely sending her tumbling to the ground.

Joy has regained her footing and fires away. She looks to Hope encouragingly.

JOY

Keep calling to her, Hope. I know

You can reach her!

A wheel strikes Joy sending her tumbling away.

HOPE

Prudence! This isn't what you wanted!

You were trying to fight for justice, weren't you?

Wheels appear and line up on Hope. They lunge forward. Amani freezes time and rushes in front of Hope. With a Desert Eagle she fires at each wheel. The bullets freeze in time just short of the wheels. With a grimace Amani pulls out a packet of C4 explosives with remote fuse.

AMANI

I'm sorry, Prudence.

Time starts again, the bullets shatter the wagon wheels and Octavia is shown covered with packs of C4 and blinking remote fuses. Amani, standing in front of Hope turns the Key on her remote detonator, arming it.

HOPE

Amani! No!

Amani hits the switch and the packets detonate ripping the witch apart. The Labyrinth vanishes and the Girls are back in the real world at the Subway station. Amani drops the detonator. Hope breaks down in tears. Charity marches directly to Joy who is standing in complete shock.

CHARITY

You believe me now, right? Joy?

My word wasn't good enough her

word wasn't good enough. But now?

What do you have to say now? I

know seeing is believing but did

you really think I was lying to

you? Why do you think I left?

I didn't even know back then but you

Can't just keep acting like you

Know how to handle everything!

You don't have all the answers,

Joy. None of us do. But If you

can't heed warnings then this will

happen again. I'm not just here to

keep you company. Prudence is dead

and it's our fault because we didn't

act on what we all knew was best.

AMANI

Leave her be, Charity. She needs

To process this.

Charity breathes uneasily and gets out of Joy's face.

CHARITY

OK, Well everybody, with all of

that said and even as angry as I

am at Joy, Prudence is still

responsible for what she did. I just

wish to hell that she listened to me.

I hate this so much. She should have

saved herself. Just when the two of

us were-

HOPE

Prudence…Oh, god…Prudence!

AMANI

What now? What do we do?

Charity breathes a sigh of frustration.

CHARITY

I still trust all of you.

Walpurgisnacht is coming? We need to

vote on fighting it. Majority rules.

If there's a tie we disband, and do

As we please. I say we back out.

AMANI

Leave?

CHARITY

There's nothing we can do.

HOPE (Standing)

No. You're wrong! We're the only

Chance this city has! Without us

thousands will die.

CHARITY

Even if we win we're only postponing

The inevitable.

HOPE

We can't just-

AMANI

I agree.

HOPE

Amani?

AMANI

I don't want to, DelSoro. But this

Is the destiny of our wishes. We

Bring about promise and curses.

Us…I mean the Puella and all people

Can't stop making a mess of it all.

Everyone is just a wish gone wrong.

Hope steels herself and stands.

HOPE

I say that we fight walpurgisnacht

And we protect our home and our

Friends and our families. I can't

Believe you would ever think

Otherwise. You're both horrible.

CHARITY

OK, well, Joy it's up to you.

Do we run or disband?

Joy is unresponsive. Charity walks over to her.

CHARITY (CTD)

Hey, Joy, I'm not arguing anymore

I really want to hear from you. What

Should-

With blistering speed Joy fires a musket shot at Charity's chest, shattering her Soul Gem, the shot comes out the other side and explodes in ribbons that wrap and bind Amani who falls over. Charity's magical powers and outfit vanish and she becomes a corpse. Joy cries hysterically.

JOY  
We're going to turn into witches!

We have to kill witches! We have

To kill ourselves!

AMANI

Joy! Don't!

JOY

You and me, all of us!

Joy centers her sights on Amani

AMANI

No! Stop!

A pink magical arrow fires through the air and strikes Joy's Soul gem which shatters into pieces. Joy's body falls over lifeless, shooting the musket as she falls which ricochets on the ground by Amani. Joy's magical powers vanish as she lays dead. The restraints vanish off of Amani. Hope sets down her bow, having just murdered her friend.

HOPE

It can't be. It can't be like this.

Amani timidly walks to Hope

AMANI

DelSoro?

HOPE

No. Get away. Get away from me!

AMANI

I won't! I'll do whatever you do.

I promise. If you want to fight

It I will, OK? I didn't mean what

I said. I'll stay and fight if you

Want me to. I was just trying to

Keep you from fighting it to save you.

HOPE

Save me from what?

AMANI

I don't know.

HOPE

Amani. Why? Why does it…

Why does it have to be this way?

AMANI

I'll be with you, DelSoro.

HOPE

I'm not a wish gone wrong, Amani!

AMANI

No, you're not. Not you. Never.

Take my hand.

Amani reaches out and the two take hands and embrace. They back away to look each other in the eyes.

AMANI

Together?

With a pained smile Hope nods.

The Shadow of Walpurgisnacht imprints into the cloud, coal black, and from its head explodes, spreading out over the city. The expanding sphere replaces the city with the flooded ruins of a disaster area.

(G7) Doris Day's 'Darn that dream' is playing lightly muted in the background under a low pass filter.

Hope and Amani lie next to each other, exhausted in the flooded ruined rubble of the city. Their hands rest side by side, clutching their tainted Soul Gems. Knowing that the end is near they look at each other.

HOPE

Together.

With a pained smile Amani nods.

AMANI

Grief seeds?

Resigned, Hope smirks and shakes her head.

AMANI (CTD)

OK. Say, DelSoro, I think an amazing

Thing is happening to me now. The

Pain is going away. Everything

That I thought mattered, everything

That made me worried or scared, it's

All been destroyed. There's nothing

Left to worry about. There is nothing

Left for us to lose. That's what

Will happen when we become monsters.

We'll destroy everything that makes

Sadness, everything that causes pain

We'll make it all go away forever.

Won't that be nice?

Hope rolls over and slips a grief seed into Amani's Soul Gem, Amani is shocked by the pain.

HOPE

I'm sorry I lied to you, Amani, but

I need your help. I know you can

Travel back in time, so I need a favor.

Through clenched teeth, Amani looks at Hope intently.

HOPE (CTD)

I don't want to become a witch, so I

need you to go back and stop me from

being tricked by Arvess. I know it's

A lot to ask, but you're my only

Chance. What do you say?

Hope unlocks the grief seed and Amani takes her hand.

AMANI

Yes! I'll do it! I'll protect

You from all of this! No matter

How many times it takes!

HOPE

Thank you.

Hope's Soul gem starts to shatter. She writhes in pain.

AMANI

DelSoro.

HOPE

OK. One more favor.

AMANI

Anything.

Hope lifts up her soul gem.

HOPE

Like I said. I don't want to

be a witch. I know what you mean.

The pain is going away, but so

Is all the happiness. There are

Terrible things in this world,

But the good of it has to be

Protected and if I have to die

Then I'd like to die for that.

AMANI

Hope!

HOPE

Hey, that's the first time you

Called me by first name. I don't

Like being called Sorrow all the

Time. I'm so happy right now,

Amani.

Hope, weakly pushes her cracking soul gem higher. Amani Transforms and draws her Desert Eagle. She points at the soul gem and screams her agony as she forces herself to squeeze the trigger. The muzzle flashes, Hope's hand drops lifeless. Blackout.

Hospital. Amani, pushed to the ends of her emotional limits lies in bed, eyes opened and livid. The calendar shows she's going to school shortly. The song ends on the clock radio.

DJ (V.O.)

That was Doris Day with "Darn

That dream." Before that we had

The Ink Spots playing "If I didn't

Care." You're listening to 97.1, KRNQ

Classic Jazz radio. We'll be back

With news and weather after this short

message.

COMMERCIAL

Are you tired-

Amani slams the radio off, gets out of bed and (G8) Adam Freeland's "Mind Killer" Cues up.

AMANI(V.O)

I won't rely on anyone.

I won't lend help to anyone.

Amani holds up her Soul gem and with its magic, corrects her vision. She opens her gown slightly and erases her surgical scar with a brush of her finger.

AMANI(V.O. CTD)

I won't let anything slow me

Down or get in my way.

Night, Hopes room. Hope is startled as Amani appears in her window.

AMANI

Hope DelSoro. If you are ever

Approached by a creature offering

To grant your wish you must not

listen to it.

HOPE

Who are you?

Amani backs away, and she is clutching the dead body of Arvess. Amani walks into the Freedom Hawks Militia Barracks. After breaking open the door she bashes open crates with a sledge hammer and cuts off padlocks from lockers.

AMANI (V.O.)

No one understands, and they

Won't even try.

A witches Labyrinth. Time is frozen. The sky is stitched black cloth and flying mice with enormous teeth are frozen mid-air. The witch is a woman's Leg in a giant bird cage. Amani jumps onto a ledge facing the witch and arms an M60 machine gun. She unloads the weapon at the witch. Before pulling the pin on a grenade and tossing it into the cage as she descends to the floor of the labyrinth with a leap.

AMANI (V.O.)

This is my wish. It is my way.

I will never stop. As long as

I must fight I will give it my all.

Time unfreezes the bullets shred the witch which cries a death wail before the grenade detonates and blows it to smithereens. Amani's eyes grow cold.

Street. Hastor approaches Amani.

HASTOR

Excuse me miss, I'd like to-

Amani appears directly behind Hastor with a gun. Amani reaches around to disarm and tosses Hastor's gun down before pushing Hastor forward.

AMANI

Walk away.

Hands up, Hastor walks forward only to turn and see Amani has vanished.

AMANI (V.O.)

I'll give up on everything else

I can't save any of the others.

Amani walks down the street under stormy weather. Looking up the Silhouette of Walpurgisnacht is there. A cascade of images flood Amani's minds, the dozens of times Walpurgisnacht has destroyed the city, countless other faliures in which Hope lay dead in the flooded ruins. Amani walks into a deserted building and up a series of steps where she opens the door to the roof. The Silhouette of Walpurgisnacht is in the clouds and buildings have uprooted into the sky. A giant dead tree grows into the storm clouds. Amani charges up her soul gem and with magical power leaps into the air. Behind her, and without her noticing Hope has come on to the same building's roof.

Amani fights off blasts of energy with her shield. She dodges attacks of familiars who rush at her only to look up and see Walpurgisnacht is throwing an entire skyscraper at her. She vanishes before it can strike and re-appears attaches and begins firing an Anti-aircraft gun at the witch. This was supposed to be her Ace in the hole against it, but with a slash of a fire tendril the weapon is cut in half. Amani runs and dives into the fray again, soaring at the monster, guns blazing only to be batted back into the limbs of the enormous tree. It's then that she shakes her head, looks down and sees Hope standing on the Roof next to Arvess.

AMANI

Get away from that thing!

It's trying to trick you!

Don't listen to it!

Amani runs to jump off the tree to get to her but is struck once again, arching her high in the sky.

AMANI

Save yourself, Hope! Get

Out of here!

As she begins to plummet Hope Shines with Brilliant Pink light.

AMANI

No!

Amani hits the ground. The light outshines the clouded sun and rises into the sky. A blast of energy, Like a laser explodes outward from Hope. It destroys Walpurgisnacht completely. Blackout.

Amani Wakes up and walks from an empty building to find the city gone and replaced by a bay. She rests on a fallen slanted structure next to the shore. Arvess appears and lands next to her. She looks at a looming shadow in the distant sky. Even mostly obscured by clouds it is clear that it reaches high into space beyond. "KREMHILD GRETCHEN" appears in Runes.

AMANI

That didn't take long.

ARVESS

I knew she was powerful but to

Destroy walpurgisnacht in only

One attack? We never predicted

A puella could produce this

Much energy.

AMANI

I tried everything to hide the

Truth from her. It worked for

Such a long time.

ARVESS

It was inevitable. She became

The world's most righteous puella

Meaning that she had to become

The most terrible witch.

AMANI  
What are you going to do now?

ARVESS

It'd be greedy to ask for more

At this point. I think our

Society will be moving on.

On the other hand, you have

Your work cut out for you,

Don't you think? Defeating

This witch is going to be quite

A challenge.

Amani turns away and walks back to shore.

ARVESS (CTD)

Where are you going?

AMANI  
There's nothing more to do here.

I'm just wasting my time.

ARVESS

Amani Stanton, are you…

Amani flips the sands once more. She walks down the corridor of her time warp back to the starting point.

AMANI (V.O.)

Repeat. I have promises

To keep and miles more to go.

Dark wing of the mall, Amani fires an energy blast at Arvess and obliterates him. A new Arvess appears behind her and she runs to catch up with it, tagging it with energy beams and injuring it heavily, but the angel still flies away. Amani loses sight of it.

AMANI (V.O. CTD)

There is a way.

Amani jumps onto an arc of Chain. Hope is before her, cradling the injured Arvess.

HOPE  
Amani?

Amani looks at Hope coldly before walking toward her.

AMANI (V.O.)

I understand now that I am trapped

But I don't care. For you, Hope,

my one and only true friend I will

go on. I will never leave this

eternal maze, but I swear on my life

that you will.

Amani stares down at Hope and there is a roll of thunder.

ACT 3

Joy's Apartment. Amani sleeps on the couch. Hope reaches out and rouses her.

HOPE

Amani.

AMANI

What? What?

HOPE

It's Nine. You fell asleep. You're

Exhausted.

AMANI

I know what time it is.

HOPE

I watched you at lunch so I made dinner.

Vegetarian Ratatouille, you have Pesto

Chicken, it's getting cold.

Kitchen. Amani eats dinner, Hope looks at the window.

HOPE

It's Dark.

AMANI

Mm.

HOPE

How much time do we have?

AMANI

Eight hours.

HOPE

Let's get to bed soon. If you

Must do this I want you rested

And strong.

AMANI

I'm not strong, Hope.

HOPE

What?

AMANI

I'm not. I've never been strong

Enough. No matter where I've gone

Or what I've done. I've always been

Too weak. My life is a broken record

Of weakness.

Amani goes back to eating.

HOPE

You're the strongest person I know.

Amani sets down her fork onto her half eaten plate. Head in hand, she's trembling.

AMANI

I'm the strongest person you know?

HOPE

Yeah.

Losing control, Amani swipes the plate to the floor.

AMANI

Have you looked in a mirror recently?!

Hope shocked as Amani leaves the room for the living room where she goes to the window and open it. She watches the storm outside. Hope enters.

HOPE

I won't apologize.

AMANI

You did nothing wrong. I just can't

Take it anymore. I have to do it this

time or I don't know what I'm going to

Do. Except I know exactly what I'm

Going to do.

HOPE

Tell me everything.

AMANI

Why are you still here? Why do you

Stay with me? I've taken you prisoner

Here, I've turned all your friends

Against you, to their deaths. To their

Deaths! I ruined your life. There's

The door! Why won't you go out and live?

Why do you always come back to me?

Hope steps forward almost threateningly and Amani backs off.

HOPE

I am not going to leave you, Amani.

Amani's trembling ends as she embraces Hope.

AMANI

Hope, I'm so sorry. All I do is

Bring you pain. In all of these

Times, I've done nothing but hurt

You. You asked me if we met before.

We have. Hundreds of times. My wish

Tied the last month into a loop. I've

Been going back through time to meet

You over and over again. Each time

I've watched you die. Every time

I start over you've forgotten all

About me. All I have left to know

is your kindness. All I see is your

smile. If you make a wish, you will

die. I can't bear that anymore.

My wish was to go back to stop you.

That's what I want. I want you to be

Safe. Whatever happens to me or anyone

I don't care. Whatever you do, don't

make a wish.

Hope embraces and consoles Amani who is in breakdown mode.

HOPE

It's OK. Let it out.

AMANI

You said you wouldn't. You promised.

HOPE

I know. Here. Sit down for a second.

Amani is seated.

AMANI

I told you I was weak.

HOPE

You're just tired. Take a break.

I'll be right back.

Hope leaves for the kitchen.

AMANI

There is a way. There is a way.

One way or another.

ARVESS

I found you.

Amani glares over to see the Angel with the haunting gaze.

AMANI

Harvester.

ARVESS

I knew you'd explain it. So, you've

Locked the Ley lines of this reality.

How wonderful.

AMANI

Yes. That's how it works. That's

What you wanted to know, right?

ARVESS

I want to know everything, Amani.

What do you want to know?

AMANI

Hope. Hope.

ARVESS

That's the best part. She has

More power than anyone, why?

AMANI

I don't know.

ARVESS

Know this about Hope. Your wish

Created a focal point on her soul

Gem, you wish for her life over and

Over again every time you restart

The loop. This feedback has built

The resonance in her to unbelievably

Strong levels. Every time you failed

You made her more powerful. As you

Kept going back you have been making

Her into something like a goddess

witch waiting to be born.

AMANI

I've been turning her-

ARVESS

Keep it up and she will not even

Need a contract.

AMANI

What are you talking about?

ARVESS

You don't have an infinite number of

Tries. Eventually your wish will

Hit a tipping point and just going

Back will turn her into a Puella.

She'll have too much resonance.

A Simple thought will connect her

directly to the Cleoneum. She will

think a wish, have it granted and

become the goddess witch of this

universe. She'll destroy your world.

We can't stop it even if we wanted

To, and we don't.

AMANI

You're…Lying.

ARVESS

When have I ever lied to you?

Amani bears her alarm.

AMANI

Is that all you wanted to say?

ARVESS

No. I have to say thank you.

You've doomed your entire species but

So what? You've given us more than

We dreamed we could ask for. You are

The hero of the harvesters. Now and

Forever. Goodbye.

Amani stands and walks to the kitchen. Hope is cleaning the floor. Amani joins her.

AMANI

You'll never have to do anything like

This again. I won't cause you any more

Trouble.

HOPE

Are you still hungry?

AMANI

No.

HOPE

Then let's go to bed.

AMANI

OK.

Living room. Amani heads for the couch, Hope takes her hand.

HOPE

I don't want to be alone tonight,

Amani. I'm so scared.

Amani holds her hand tighter.

Bedroom. The two girls stare at one another, trying to fall asleep.

HOPE

How many times have you done this?

AMANI

This? First time.

HOPE

No. No. I mean how many times

Have you gone back?

AMANI

Seven hundred and thirty four.

HOPE

You kept count?

AMANI

My soul gem counts it for me.

HOPE

You've known me longer than I've been alive.

AMANI

Yes.

HOPE

What am I like?

AMANI

You're kind to the point of cruelty.

You always try to see things from

The other person's point of view.

You're happy just being with people.

You'll give anything to save someone.

You're a lousy bowler.

HOPE

I haven't been bowling in ages.

AMANI

You have no idea.

Hope rolls to the other side.

HOPE

Goodnight, Amani.

Amani looks at Hope and the two both lay with eyes open. Blackout.

4:30 AM. Amani and Hope sleep, facing opposite of how they were hours before, with Hope facing to Amani and Amani faced away. Amani awakens, as though she inherently knows the time. She turns to see Hope, knowing she has to wake her up. She weakly stirs Hope, heart breaking that time is up and they must now part.

AMANI

Hope. You…have to go now.

It's time to leave. Get up.

It's time, Hope. You have

To go home.

She loses her composure, grasping Hope's shoulder.

AMANI (CTD, sternly)

Hope!

Hope stirs to see Amani, looking serious.

AMANI (CTD)

Get going.

(G9) "The Chain" by Fleetwood Mac starts to play. Amani and Hope gather their things out of the apartment and step out onto the landing of the apartment's balcony. They walk down the stairs and stop in the street. The sky is murky grey but dawn light is enough to let them see.

HOPE

I believe in you. You're

Going to beat this thing

And make it out alive.

AMANI

You always smirk when you lie.

HOPE  
Is there anything else you can

Do? Is there any other way?

AMANI

Not this time, Hope. Whatever

You do don't follow me. I know you

can feel the familiars. Put them

out of your mind. Arvess

Will be after you to the very

Last-

Hope suddenly embraces Amani. The two hold on for what time Amani feels they have left. They withdraw still holding hands.

AMANI

There was no need for that.

HOPE  
I know when you're lying too.

The two separate and Amani watches longingly as Hope walks away. Amani too turns and heads to her perch where she will fight once more. Hope looks back but sees Amani will not stop so she goes back to walking away. Amani looks back but sees that Hope will not stop so she goes back to walking. Spiral glyphs begin to scrawl across the pavement ahead of Amani. Streams of magical mist emerge from the pavement and magical familiars roam the streets. The city becomes haunted under the remains of the storm.

Hope, alone in abandoned streets makes her way up hill to her house. She stops for a moment and very nearly turns around before forcing herself to jog back where she'll be safe.

Amani sits on the hood of a truck with a gun already drawn. The desperation and loneliness set in and she looks into the sky. A vortex of familiars and curses is churning above her. Magical spells are being drawn into a thunderhead of mystical power. Out of the ground flow a circus troupe of familiars headed up into the sky.

AMANI (V.O.)

If I don't get this, I've gained

Nothing. To my very last, Hope,

For and you alone.

End of the last verse Hope comes within view of her home. Rachel emerges from a balcony.

RACHEL

Hope!

Unable to resist any more Hope looks back. She sees the vortex of magic forming above the city and bay and is horrified.

RACHEL (CTD)

What are you doing? Come home!

Hope turns back to her mother, raises her hand and spreads her fingers wide before turning and running back to Amani as fast as she can.

RACHEL

HOPE!

Rain starts to fall in sheets familiars erupt out of the ground and into the sky as Hope runs relentlessly.

Amani clutches her weapon in anticipation of the end.

Hope dashes through the streets to make it to her. Blackout into credits as the outro to the song plays overhead.


	9. Hope

Chenalos presents

A 14 rivers play for the screen

Based upon Puella Magi Madoka Magica

The Magic of Hope

Episode 8: Hope

Chenalos at yahoo dot com

Twitter at ChenalosFiction

SCREEN TEXT

Sweden, 1647.

A young girl with a green puella symbol in the shape of a candle on her fingernail is dragged by a mob into a Lutheran Chapel in a remote town. The girl is helpless and has her hands tied in front of her. Her feet do not even touch the ground as the lanky thugs bear her over the threshold. At the platform of the church is an old Priest who goes to the edge of his stage where the thugs come and kneel, forcing her to do the same. The priest stares down at her intimidatingly before walking over to the ringleader of the mob. The man kneels and presents the Priest with a soul gem ring. The Priest returns to the helpless girl.

PRIEST

Jag bad dessa män att ta dig till mig.

Detta är din ring. Du kan ändra dess

form, kan inte du? I Guds namn måste

du visa mig.

The Priest places the ring in her hand. Once having it the girl struggles to escape, but she is held soundly.

PRIEST (CTD)

Detta är ett försök. Du kan dömas till

döden om du inte gör det. Kom lilla.

Visa oss dina förmågor.

Reluctantly the girl nods and converts the ring into a full soul gem. The priest takes the gem as the girl immediately objects. The soul gem is given to the ring-leader of the mob.

PRIEST (CTD)

Häxa. Lös henne i namn av vår herre.

The priest walks to his pulpit to issue his edict.

PREIST (CTD)

Du har befunnits skyldiga till

gemenskap med djävulen. Jag sentance

dig till döden genom eld.

GIRL

Nej!

PREIST

Bränn häxan.

The men drag the girl away, her crying "Nej!" while they chant "Häxan! Bränn Häxan!" She is taken to a town square where a stake has already been prepared. They stand her on a platform while they bind her to the stake.

GIRL

Nej! Jag är inte en häxa. Jag slåss

fantomer! Lyssna på mig snälla.

The mob gather tied bundles of sticks and twigs below her feet and one exits from a building with a lit torch.

GIRL (CTD)

Hjälp! Hjälp!

The commotion draws a crowd. In the distance of it the Girl sees two familiar faces.

GIRL (CTD)

Mamma! Pappa!

The mother covers her mouth and leans in to weep on her husband's chest. The father leads her away. Abandoned, the girl looks to see that the mob has laid branches over top the bundles and is ready for a full roaring fire. Shouts of "Bränn häxan!" ring out strong. She sees the ringleader place her soul gem on a block. He wields a heavy Iron Hammer to destroy it.

GIRL (CTD)

Nej Nej Stopp. Gör inte detta

vänligen. Någon hjälp!

A thug throws the torch onto the pile. The flame is lit. It crawls up to the girls feet and over her body. She looks as the ringleader winds his swing to destroy her soul gem. Suddenly, above her there is a light. A light of pure pink. The girl looks up at it and-

TITLE

HOPE

(H1) "Repent Walpurgis" by the Shiver begins. The silhouette of Walpurgisnacht is shrouded menacingly in the thunderhead cloud. A pull back from the monster across the cityscape reveals it is enormous and moving persistently inward. Below on the street, Amani awaits its arrival.

Hope is running frantically through the streets to the sound of the songs dashing Piano.

Amani rises from the truck and walks to the door of a building. She transforms to her puella form spectacularly. At the sound of the songs first strike she opens the door to find a smiling dog familiar standing upright and looking at her. Without thought or hesitation she shoots it twice in the head. The familiar drops and disappears. Amani drops that gun and readies a sawed-off pump action shot gun. There are two ballerina dancers at the top of the stairs at the songs second hit she blasts them and their twisted remains disintegrate. Amani drops the gun walks up the steps to a door and on the songs final intro hit throws it open. The door opens to the roof of the building. The clouds part and Walpurgisnacht reveals herself, tearing skyscrapers from the ground as a giant twisted leafless tree grows from the city blocks.

During the piano/organ exchange Hope runs inside the open door of the deserted building and hurries up the steps to throw open the door of the roof.

HOPE

Amani! Wait!

It's too late and Amani steps off the ledge of the building and flies up into the air just as the drum intro kicks off.

A swarm of familiars lie ahead of her. Amani readies an AK-74. She guns and flies her way through squid-chandeliers, Red eyed imps, dragon elephants, a psychedelic skull with shark's teeth and tendril eyes that races and follows her chomping away, giant Spiders with bats wings instead of legs. She fires her weapons, floats, dodges and pounces midair to defeat them and get closer to Walpurgisnacht. She pulls a Magnum revolver and shoots twice at a triple headed crow, killing it and just then she is struck by a flying car with a liquid paint job and is whisked away as her gun tumbles from her hand and lands on a rooftop. It's the building next to the one Hope is standing on. Hope looks at the fallen weapon, then back into the sky. Arvess is there. He lands down to perch in front of Hope. Amani looks down to see Hope there, and she grits her teeth.

ARVESS

It's time, Hope. You must make

Your contract now to save her.

Hope defiantly looks back into the sky. On the hood of the car Amani looks at the driver's seat. A nun with an Orange instead of a head. Amani fires a shotgun blast into the windscreen and orange juice goes everywhere in the car and the side door opens. The decapitated nuns body keels over, opening the driver's door, but rather than a body fruit falls out of the habit as Amani seizes the hood of the car and steers it straight at Walpurgisnacht. The empty habit blows away and Amani has total control of the familiar car. Hope walks to the edge of the building and Walpurgisnacht has come much closer. Her immense size consumes the pre-dawn sky. Fire shoots from Walpurgisnacht's mouth whipping out in hot strands at Amani. Like riding a magic carpet Amani ducks and dodges the incoming flames and zips through the branches of the dead tree. Just as it seems Amani is about to be at point blank range a skyscraper plucked from the ground is thrust at her from Below. Her ride is smashed into the roof and the skyscraper rushes high up in the air, directly above Walpurgisnacht and Amani reappears high above that building. In midair, at the descending scales of the song she raises her hand high up and the enormous MOAB bomb appears above her. With a sneer she swipes her hand down and the bomb plunges with an aerodynamic roar to the gears of Walpurgisnacht. The flash of its explosion is blinding. A sonic shockwave rips through the air. Hope sees the blast and shields her eyes from it. The shockwave throws Hope off her feet. The gears of walpurgisnacht are split and shed off the sides, leaving the tall spindle erected above a platform on the skirt of the monster.

Frozen time Vignette shot of the gears tipping off the edge. Amani stands on the platform of the base of the spindle when time resumes. The gears fall away completely. Freed from this weight, Walpurgisnacht rises into the air. Geometric spirals appear on the platform left behind and from these spirals emerge dancing phantom girls who hold strands that go to the top of the spindle. The guitar solo section begins Amani raises a Kris submachine gun. The strands the girls hold become lit on fire and the dancing girls make a maypole of the spindle. Moving in both directions, and weaving in and out with one another. Amani guns them down. The loosened fiery tendrils sweep at her and she dodges flaming whiplashes. The gun goes dry and immediately Amani has an AA-12 at her command. Blasting away at the phantoms the monster girls suddenly clear away from Amani and in the space they create the loose flaming tendrils whip at her from the maypole She fires helplessly at it, only to be whipped down, tied and brought up to the maypole and bound there. The girls resume and the hot strands bind and burn Amani to the Maypole even more so. Amani screams in pain but summons up a combat knife and cuts herself free. In freefall she plunges the dagger into the maypole and slides down to the base where she places a satchel charge. Leaping to the other side of the maypole, covering over herself with her hands she hits the detonator. The blast unseats the maypole which collapses inward. The floor, too, crumbles and Amani falls inside as the solo ends she tumbles into darkness.

The Bach section of the music begins. Amani has had her body beaten and with lash-like curved burns going up and down the fall has left her bruised and bloody. She is face up, eyes closed as soft rain falls on her. She opens her eyes and looks to the Soul gem on her hand. Blood has seeped down the back of her wrist and lines the edge of her soul gem which is badly tainted and is beginning to crack. It's too late to even turn back time now. She covers the gem with her sleeve, stands holding a pistol and walks toward a faded door in the darkness. She looks around and eyes are in the darkness. They are children's eyes with their heads and bodies shrouded in the dark, staring not threateningly but almost welcoming. The figures in the dark are curious and they come to sit at the edge of the darkness as if to welcome Amani inside. She can see the door becoming more defined as she walks towards it in the rainy but ever brightening sky. Tentatively she places her hand on it and opens it to see a spiral staircase going down with a beautiful shining chandelier.

The Bach section ends and before she can enter the room rushes away from Amani. The hall it creates by rushing away twists and turns, creating new hallways. The door in front of Amani shuts, spins around Amani Producing eight identical doors that spin like a roulette wheel. Amani Leaps through one of the doors and enters the labyrinth layer of Walpurgisnacht which are like the hallways and bedrooms of a Victorian mansion. She runs door to door, breaking through, ignoring the stuffed animal familiars in each room as she races through the surreal maze of Walpurgisnacht. A giant teddy bear at last gets in her way before a great door and takes a swing at her. Amani dodges but a follow up catches her, lays her out. The bear picks her up only for Amani to grasp the button eyes of the bear, rip them from the cotton-head and stomp the familiar into the ground before rushing into the last door. She hurries down the spiral chandelier staircase inside. At the base is a last door. She throws it open, drawing a Desert Eagle finding that she is in a Victorian child's bedroom. She checks all corners looking for the core, not knowing where it could be. Confusion and panic hit, Then through the translucent checkerboard floor she sees magical energy, like veins flowing into a full length vanity mirror in a corner of the bedroom which is turned away from her. At the crescendo of the song she pulls the Mirror aside to see who is behind it. There is no one. She looks all around the room to find the core, but there is nothing. Then she looks at the mirror. She points the gun at her reflection.

At the first finale hit of the song she rotates her shield, freezing time. Her reflection freezes in kind. At the second finale hit she punches the mirror shattering it but unchanging the reflection inside. She reaches inside, grabbing her reflection by the throat. Amani begins to pull the reflection from the shattered mirror. Amani's hands are bleeding up to the wrist from shattered glass. At the third hit she pulls the reflection out, bursting a rain of shattered glass. The core sheds Amani's visage and transforms into a ghostly pale little girl with dead, cylinder eyes. At the fourth musical hit she thrusts the core to the ground and empties her DE into its face. Holes appear, but the core smiles. Nothing happens. Enraged Amani pistol-whips the core, deforming, breaking its eyes until finally at the songs climax the head shatters. The cracks spread through the body of the core. Then the floor shatters and Amani falls out the bottom of Walpurgisnacht and is falling down to the city below. While in freefall she turns herself around to look up. Walpurgisnacht is breaking apart midair and dissolving fast. Amani throws her empty gun away, spreads wide her arms and legs, plummeting to the ground and Hollering in pure victory.

AMANI

YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEES!

The song ends and Hope celebrates the victory from the ground. She sees Amani gently lowering out of the sky to a nearby building. She turns to run downstairs and gets to her. The Chandelier falls out of the sky, hits the building's roof and slowly evaporates. Amani floats herself down to the roof of a building with a slight flutter like a falling leaf. She is laughing, sobbing, Hysterically overjoyed.

AMANI

I did it! I did it! It's all over!

It's over! It's over! It's finally

Done! I can't believe it. This is

The greatest moment of my life. Hope!

Did you see that Hope? Hope. Oh. Oh

God, Hope.

Amani looks at her cracking soul gem, barely holding itself together. She rolls to one side and sees the magnum that was knocked from her hand. She crawls to it. Picks it up and then again examines her shattering soul gem. There is no time left. Regret fills her knowing she has to end it at last and there's no other way to save herself. She cocks the hammer of the gun.

Hope emerges onto the Roof with Arvess floating in from above.

HOPE

Amani!

Amani turns and points the gun at her.

AMANI

Stay back! Stay back, Hope!

Walpurgisnacht dissolves completely, restoring the damaged city and the rain falls lightly in the rising sun. Amani is still pointing the gun.

AMANI(CTD)

Stay back! I know what you're going

to try to do, some wish to fix something

but there's no way. I can't. I can't

do anything anymore. Walpurgisnacht is

gone and my wish has come true. But

this is as far as I can go.

HOPE

Amani, I can-

AMANI  
No you can't! That's the whole point!

Now you know everything. What it means

to make a wish. Joy, Prudence, Charity

me but not you. No Hope. No, Hope, don't

make the contract.

HOPE

I won't. I promise! Don't do this.

AMANI

You have the blessing meant for true hope

The blessing of a simple tomorrow

that makes the wondrous days to come.

And now You can stay just the way you are:

Just you. Happy and pretty and perfect.

Amani points the gun into her left hand.

HOPE

Amani, please stop this.

AMANI

I have freed you from your fate at long last.

I am very happy now, Hope and if-

I had to go through it all again,

I wouldn't give up a single moment.

HOPE

Amani!

Amani tearfully closes her eyes and pulls the trigger and the bullet rips through her hand, exiting the other side, shattering her Soul Gem. Her arms throw outward and drop lifelessly and she slouches over in the kneeling position. Hope rushes over and props up Amani's body.

HOPE

Amani. I can...I can. There's

some way to fix all this I know

it. Amani? Don't go. It's just

your hand. Don't leave me, Amani

…Amani?

Hope clutches Amani as trails of blood seep off her battered body. Arvess floats away. The rains recede and the sun breaks into a beautiful dawn skyline as Leslie West's (H2) "Long Red" starts to play opening into a montage. The sky becomes vivd blue and beautiful and trees dry into glorious green in the spring sunshine. Children come out to play happily as Amani's body is taken away by paramedics. Hope is emotionally exhausted sitting on the steps of the building when Hastor approaches her. More kids are playing soccer in the road. Hope is put into the back of a patrol car and led away to interrogation, where she is to be questioned by Hastor. Outside the precinct sunlight peels through the leaves of a tree soaking in plentiful water from the rain. Hope is presented a picture of the MOAB, and looks up at Hastor, giving him a hand gesture and mouthing the word "Boom" before nodding. Later Hastor and Lemon observe her from outside the interrogation room before Hastor motions for her release and walks away. The song continues as Hope is released to her distressed family who lovingly embrace her, but on the ride home berate her behavior. Hope still appears numb to all of it. At night she rests her head down, consumed by her thoughts. The next morning Hopes home seems to glimmer in the spring sunshine. It's another perfect looking day. In her room she takes out a black dress. She arrives at the funeral for Prudence. Relatives and friends of the family mourn. Amity cries into Will's arms. In time, one by one, all the mourners leave but Hope remains as the coffin is interred. The sun sets and Hope stands alone at the foot of the grave. In the setting sun the shadow of an angel Descends on Hope's body and rests on the headstone.

ARVESS

Of all the people I never thought you

would want to see me again.

HOPE

I have a wish.

ARVESS

I'll grant it.

HOPE

What did they do with Amani?

Will she have a funeral too?

ARVESS

Her foster parents were outraged.

They turned Amani's body over to the

Government. She's been cremated

And thrown away. Why do you ask?

HOPE

If there's no funeral for her then

There's no need for me to wait any

Longer. I'm ready.

ARVESS

Not that it really matters but

what brought you around?

HOPE

I finally figured out what

Amani was doing. Why she kept

coming back for me. It's because

I burdened her. I must have told

her to save me because I haven't

ever had the strength to save

myself. She didn't have to die.

I have a wish that will make her

Sacrifice worthwhile.

ARVESS

You think so? Tell me.

HOPE

Have puella magi ever wished

to fight you?

ARVESS

Yes they have.

HOPE

I take it they don't come out on

Top?

ARVESS

It's pointless. No matter what

You wish for the energy you use

Can do nothing but feed our

Society. Also you can't fight us

From here. Unless you can get to

Us directly you can't win. The

Rules for Puella are restrained.

You will lose. Even so, seeing

The maximum offensive output of

The most powerful Puella ever

Is too great a research opportunity

So don't let me stop you but your

Transformation will likely destroy

This world.

HOPE

I don't think you would have told

Me that if I didn't pose some kind

Of a threat.

ARVESS

We have a budget. You destroying

Our investment here raises

A cost/benefit dilemma to us.

With your power, however I don't

Think anyone will complain about

Not squeezing this pale blue dot

dry. What about you? Knowing

that you may destroy your world

and species, Are you worried?

HOPE

I'll take my chances. Everyone

will. One way or another I'm

gonna get you.

ARVESS

Make a contract with me.

HOPE

I wish to sacrifice myself to defeat

the Harvesters and bring an end to

all of this.

A blank stare down goes down between the angel and the girl over the grave for a moment. Hope suddenly explodes in Brilliant Pink light. Everyone stops what they are doing all over Rhapsody Bay to look at the luminaire. Blasts of gale force wind swirl around Hope. From the graveyard Arvess is overcome with awe. The brilliant soul gem emerges from Hope's chest.

ARVESS

Amazing! Your resonance is

Geometrically fractal out to

The Plank scale! This is so

Much more than we could even

Estimate. Go ahead and Kill me

Here. I'll just return again

to my society, living off your

energy for a Thousand universal

lifetimes. Now take your soul

gem into your hand and seize the

world you desire!

Hope raises her hand to the glowing gem, staring at it with trepidation, then she looks Arvess in the eyes and she circles the emerging gem with her hand. She hesitates. The winds die down. The gem hums then jars with dissonance and becomes unstable. Hope's eyes fill with anger. The gem goes black.

ARVESS (CTD)

What? You've inverted your own

Karma? Impossible.

HOPE

This is just the beginning.

Black waves collapse around them into the newly emerging grief seed. The gale force winds now blow inward. Hope spreads her arms upward, drawing in the black waves.

ARVESS

Resonance inversion? You can't

Have-

HOPE

Amani gave me seven hundred and

Thirty four months to become

Accustomed to this. I can't

Believe her hard work made it

So easy. And she's dead? I won't

Tolerate that.

ARVESS

You have to reverse this. You'll

Doom yourself to an eternity of curses

Willingly?

HOPE

You said it yourself, Arvess.

Witches are born from despair.

Despair is all I have left, so

I'm giving it all back to you.

ARVESS

Revert the energy! Don't

Go any further!

Hope puts a hand below her grief seed and closes her fingers over it. First thumb and pinky, then ring and pointer finger so the last bit is a middle finger straight up at Arvess before clsing her fist. The curse of the seed washes over Hope and a wicked crooked smile smears across her face that cackles. Arvess opens his halo to a shaft of light to escape, but as he does the witch latches on to him and follows him inside as the halo closes.

Down the Shaft of light Arvess flees with the witch hot on his tail. The witch has a hold of him and Arvess sheds his form and becomes his normal alien form which is beautiful, winged and unhuminoid. He emerges on the other side, but the witch emerges and pries the Halo from Arvess' head. The halo opens wide and the ink-like slime of the witch floods out onto the Harvester Society, a pure white, heavenly kingdom of castles and light is flooded with black, evil goo. As the last of it pours out, Hope's hand emerges from the mess and grasps the halo. Hope's form emerges from the witch, and flips the Halo over, opening the portal to the abyss of dead grief seeds. She throws the halo into the sky over the Cleoneum and it opens. Curses rain out of the abyss onto the society. The witch raises its hands, growing tall, with arms up as though begging for mercy, summoning all the lost grief to her aid. The curses flow into her and a multitude of twisted, colored faces, mouth wide with tendrils grown on the very surface of the skin of the witch appear.

The Harvester's world is a giant, enclosed sphere with a white light in the center, a brilliant crystal, the Cleoneum. The destruction of this realm will pay homage to the plague sequence of Kanashimi No Belladonna.

(H3) "Nub" by Jesus Lizard begins as the name "UberGretchen" in runes appears on the screen. The black halo hangs above the Cleoneum and UberGretchen's hands are on either side of it. The blackness spreads. It crumbles and consumes the society. The pure white alien structures shatter and fall into darkness. Hordes of Harvesters are devoured and destroyed by the spreading witch. Their now twisted, broken forms are consumed by the multitude of faces in the blackness.

Tendrils emerge from the hands of Gretchen and wrap the Cleoneum. The enormous crystal is taken into her hands.

Arvess flees from place to place in the Alien world, but at every turn he is faced by the gruesome attacks of the witch. Though no place is safe still he flees. A stream of curses from the abyss chases him as well, as though knowing he is responsible for the contract that sentenced them. At the moment where the song's lyrics are "But I have got to hand it to you, you're taking this extremely well." Arvess is headed towards a stronghold but the door is shut before he can enter. All the same it is destroyed in one go by an attack of the witches. From the ruins of the stronghold emerges the twisted form of Hope with her crooked smile. Arvess turns again, but he is seized and dragged into the air; to the Cleoneum and the hands of UberGretchen.

The aliens are ripped, rended and smothered in the curse of the witch. Their freakish screams of pain are replaced with silence. The remainder of the alien society is contaminated, consumed and destroyed before being plunged into darkness by UberGretchen's corruption.

Gretchen's twisted black Hope form with the crooked smile emerges from the main body, still connected by a single tendril. She floats near the enormous Cleoneum, absorbing its power. Arvess is brought before her. The tendrils that Hold Arvess contort him back into his miniature angel form and Gretchen reaches out, and holds the angel to its chest like a baby.

GRETCHEN

Tell me, Harvester; What did you

And your kind wish for?

ARVESS

To live forever in a society that

Would never come to an end.

GRETCHEN

Why did you wish for that?

ARVESS

To live forever in a society that

Would never come to an end.

GRETCHEN

That is why you cause humans so

Much suffering. For you: intents

And means are one and the same.

But for people what they wish for

And why they wish for it are two

Different things.

ARVESS

I don't understand at all.

GRETCHEN

You never will.

Gretchen quickly destroys Arvess and tosses his corpse away.

The witch turns to the Celoneum. Running her hand on the surface of the crystal she can hear the laughter of girls within it. Her crooked Smile grows. Her grief seed is composed. She injects the needle into the surface and screams ring out. Her curse floods in and contaminates the cleoneum, and in so doing everything grows darker and darker and the screams deaden more and more. The light fades until it is only a single beaming point. Just as it is about to flicker out it fades to pink. The pink light grows stronger, brighter. It suddenly rebounds, spreads through the Cleoneum in a flash. The light pierces and penetrates Gretchen's grief seed. Gretchen screams in agony but then is rendered unconscious when the seed is shattered into a Soul gem. The curse strips off of Hope's body leaving her floating nude before the purified Cleoneum. The gems resonate with each other. Hope comes around to see her soul Gem floating on the glowing white horizon of the Cleoneum. She seizes the Glowing pink gem.

HOPE

It worked? It worked! I-

She floats over to the Cleoneum and places her hand on it.

HOPE (CTD)

It's over now. I'm the last one,

and no more will ever be made.

She lays down on the great gem and closes her eyes, now realizing that she's given up her life to exist in this lonely world. Then in a moment she hears the happy voices of girls.

HOPE (CTD)

What?

She rolls over on the stone, putting her ear on it. She realizes the truth.

HOPE (CTD)

You're all here. You always

will be. That means I can save

her.

She quickly formulates a plan and floats away from the Cleoneum. Then Hope stops, and hand open with her soul gem inside resonates a stream of magical energy to the Crystal. Lightning shoots off and magical sparks fly, but hope still focuses her resonant energy. In the Arc of magic between Hope and the Cleoneum a purple aura is forming.

HOPE (CTD)

Come on. Come on.

It centralizes and concentrates before finally solidifying in a purple crystal soul Gem that flashes to life and reincarnates Amani who floats nude before Hope.

HOPE (CTD)

Amani!

Hope dives at the girl and embraces her unconscious body in slow motion. Blackout.

HOPE (CTD Muffled, clearing up)

Amani, Amani. Wake up

Wake up, Amani. I'm here.

Amani? Can you hear me?

It's me, Hope. Wake up.

The image fades up and comes in to focus and Amani's perspective is shown as she is now looking at Hope, who is tearing up.

AMANI

Hope!

HOPE

You're back.

AMANI

What happened? I-I beat it didn't

I? You shouldn't be here. You…You

Didn't-

Hope holds up her soul gem.

AMANI(CTD)

No! Hope. You promised you

Wouldn't! How could you? After

Everything was done! You know I

Can't fix this now! Why did you

Do it Hope?

HOPE

I couldn't let it go on anymore,

Amani. I wished to stop it all.

AMANI

But now look. You can't wish this

away. You can't undo the contract!

Don't you see?

HOPE

I guess you're right. I have

To do more than that. I have to make

The contract right. I have to fix

Everything. That's why I need your

help.

Amani turns away.

AMANI

Hope. You know I did everything

To stop this. You could have just

Walked away. Let go.

Hope embraces Amani.

HOPE

Even so, when I thought about you

And the others I realized that there

Was too much for me to walk away

from. I won't leave you all alone

with only your tears. Wherever you

go, I'm going to be right there along

side of you, and there is a way to make

sure that every puella will get their

wish and see the new world they desire.

They will never cry a witches sadness

ever again if you just trust me and

Help me.

Amani cradles the embrace.

AMANI

What do I do?

HOPE

My soul Gem and the Cleoneum are in

Perfect resonance. I can use all of

Its power, and I'll do it to change

Things, but I'll need your abilities.

Amani faces hope.

AMANI

I trust you.

HOPE

Raise your soul gem.

Amani does so and Hope raises her soul gem as well. (H4) "Why you treat me so bad" by Club Nouveau starts playing. An energy beam interlocks between the soul gems and the Beam extends to the Cleoneum. The two gems spin rapidly, creating an energy field.

AMANI

You're connecting our energies.

HOPE

Take my hand. Close your eyes

and release.

Eyes closed Amani opens the time portal. Amani opens her eyes and the two girls fly inside distorted spacetime, heading to some great and distant horizon.

AMANI

Where are we going Hope?

HOPE

This all started with the Cleoneum.

I have the energy to get us back

To before it all.

AMANI

You're going to change the past?

HOPE

Just think of it as returning the

favor.

Hope looks to see the time destination ahead.

HOPE (CTD)

Here we go.

The girls exit contained in a glowing bubble chamber and there are a multitude of Crystals being linked together by energy beams.

AMANI

Is this?

HOPE

Yes. The Cleoneum is about to

Be formed. When it does the

Power to grant wishes and change

Destiny will be born.

Hope takes the two soul gems and returns Amani's. Amani clutches the gem to her chest.

AMANI

What are you going to do now?

Hope gives Amani her most honest smile, then turns and tosses her soul gem into the matrix of merging crystals. Almost immediately the single gem becomes indistinguishable from all the other intersecting beams of energy and crystal shards.

AMANI (CTD)

Hope, No! You're going to unite

With that thing?

HOPE

That's right.

Hope Undoes her red ribbon.

HOPE (CTD)

From inside the Cleoneum I will help

guide a new world. Witches will never

be born. Puella will see their wishes

produce the goodness of their hearts.

The Harvesters will have a society that

uplifts everyone they meet.

AMANI

But you, Hope! What happens to you?

You're going to be stuck in that thing

Forever! You'll never fall in love or

Have your own dreams come true or even

Meet another person ever again. You'll

Never even be born! No. Not this. Of

All the things that I've seen, this is

the Worst!

Hope embraces Amani once more.

HOPE

Hey, don't give up, yet. Besides,

I won't be alone. Every wish that

Is made will give me another puella

To meet. One day we'll all be together.

Even you and I. All that time you spent

over and over will feel like nothing and

I promise I'll never forget the girl who

gave up everything for me. When I unite

with the Cleoneum I will see all that

happens and all that could happen and

I'll make sure that things work out for

my truest and dearest friend, Amani Milele Stanton.

Hope releases Amani and the two drift apart as Amani is drawn back into a time warp. Amani reaches out, Hope takes her hand gently, and places her ribbon into Amani's grasp.

AMANI

Hope!

HOPE

Just remember, I'll always be here for you.

Hope releases and as Amani is drawn, tearfully back with the ribbon like a streamer trailing away.

AMANI

Come back!

Hope closes her eyes and accepts her fate. She leans back into the energy matrix. The energy of the fusing Cleoneum dissolves her, and then the pieces merge in spectacular crystal pyrotechnics. A brilliant light beams from the top of the crystal. It is Hope. She transforms into a goddess. Hope is robed in a pure white gown and with smooth wings of crystalline purity that are not attached but float at the ready behind her back. She draws her magical bow and an enormous energy sigil appears behind her. She looses the shot and the magical energy arrow rushes into hyperspace and begins to split and shoot off other arrows into the hyperspace field. One shot blasts off and takes a wormhole that ends back to earth, where it shoots down to Ireland.

An Irish magical girl collapses. She looks at her tarnished, Lavender soul gem, cracking. Aware that the end is near she's filled with fear. A great pink light zooms in from above, and she is astonished by it.

HOPE (V.O.)

That's right. I won't forget any of you.

Hope in her Puella form appears from the energy shot, she lowers her hand to the gem. Holding her hand over it the crystal shatters and the black taint is blown away leaving behind only the glowing essence which Hope takes into her hands and presses it to her chest. The face of the Irish Puella is filled with gratitude before Hope vanishes in a flash with a smile, allowing the girl to gratefully shut her eyes.

HOPE (V.O.)

If you have a wish to make the world

A better place then I will grant it.

An African Puella on the Savanah pulls herself under the shade of a tree. She too is about to expire. She stands, planting her double edged sword into the ground to make a last stand for whatever it meant to die when Hope appears. The shocked girl watches as she easily disperses the crystal and the curse before taking the glowing essence into her. The girl rests under the tree and laughs as Hope smiles and vanishes in a flash. Fade to pink.

HOPE (V.O.)

If you are willing to fight against

The suffering of others then I will

Be at your side.

A pink shot zooms out of its wormhole and races down to Sweden in 1647. It transforms into Hope as the girl being burned at the steak. Hope appears, floats down and in slow motion, as the ringleader smashes soul gem with a hammer, she moves the energy within into a ring that she accepts into her. She takes the girls essence and vanishes. Upward jib shot as the girl smiles and dies relieved even as the fires consume her.

Other 'Puella' are shown, not about to die but in their primes holding their soul gems, Cleopatra who named the Cleoneum, Joan of Arc with her banner, An Armenian girl on the Turkish death march, a Jewish girl in a Nazi Box car, A Gazan girl in a bombed out hospital. A wounded Puella with a rose colored epaulet soul gem who carries an actual bayonetted rifle lays down to die on a tattered confederate battle flag. Hope appears arms open and smiling. The girls eyes are lifeless as Hope relieves the crystal and taint and takes her away. The song fades out.

Earth. Hope looks down benevolently in her full goddess dress.

HOPE (V.O)

That's right. I will give you, and

the Puella, everybody. Everyone

will have Hope. I promise.

Blinding flash of sunlight.

HOPE (V.O.)  
I'm here for you always and soon

The day will come when we'll meet

Again. I can hardly wait.

Out of the brightness Hope appears.

HOPE

Everything will be alright.

Fade to white once more then fade in to Amani on her hospital bed. (G1) "If I didn't care" by the ink spots is playing but is not heard clearly under a low pass filter. She shakes her head out and reaches to grab her glasses to find that she has a red ribbon in her hand. She quickly gets her glasses to look at it closely then she looks back at her soul gem. She picks it up to look more closely. There is a pink light glowing within it. The song is now fully audible. Amani stares in smiling as though she can see Hope smiling back at her. The light briefly brightens and then fades away. The last visible sign of Hope fades from the universe. She grasps the soul gem and weeps for the final loss of Hope as the line "Would all this be true if I didn't care for you?" is sung.

ACT 2

Amani, no glasses, no scar, no attitude, and a red ribbon braided into some locks of her plaited hair goes to school. She waits on the other side of the door to her classroom. As Ms Perry introduces her.

MS PERRY

Well, with that out of the way, we have

a new classmate joining us today. Please

Welcome Miss Amani Milele Stanton.

Amani casually steps inside and nods to the class.

MS PERRY

Amani is coming to us from a hospital

I won't go into details but she's

recovering from a successful treatment.

AMANI

Hello, everyone, My name is Amani.

It's spelled A-M-A-N-I.

Ms Perry erases the A-H-M she had begun to write and spells her name correctly.

AMANI (CTD)

You've probably never met an Amani

And probably won't ever meet one again.

Might sound like a strange name but I

really like it. It means Peace.

Study hall. Amani is sitting down when 4 Fashionistas approach her.

FASHIONISTA 1

Hey, we were wondering.

AMANI

My hair style is plaited braids.

I wear bright colors because it

Cheers me up. I don't listen to

Hip hop or rap very often, but

When I do I prefer socially conscious

Emceees like Mos Def, Common, Nas and

Talib Kweli over bling and bitches or

Gangsta rappers.

FASHIONISTA 2

Um, OK.

AMANI

If you'll excuse me I have to talk

To that girl about our next assignment.

Amani walks over to Prudence.

PRUDENCE

Uh, Hi. Amani, right?

AMANI

Prudence, like the Beatles song.

PRUDENCE  
Yeah?

AMANI

I know about your friend in the

Hospital. I also know someone

Who can help.

Arvess floats down, spinning with sparkles and rests on the table top.

ARVESS

Make a contract with me and become

Puella magi.

AMANI

It's not cheap, but you can have

One wish to change the whole world.

PRUDENCE

What the Hell is this?

AMANI

It's something like destiny.

Except it's all up to you. So it's

exactly like destiny.

City Night. (H5) "Round and round" by Ratt starts playing. Wraiths, huge, robed phantoms with half-digitized heads appear on the roofs. They float meanacingly. They look about to terrorize a city square full of people. Suddenly Vingette shot, time has stopped. Bright yellow shots rain out of the sky, destroying the largest one of them. Joy dives out of the sky swinging on her ribbon unleashing a volley of shots as she does. The wraiths scatter, but streaks of Red and Blue are on the ground. The two stop, side by side long enough to be seen. It's Charity and Prudence. They slice and spear their way through the wraiths, chopping up the lot of them. Joy joins the girls on the ground and they all look victorious when a giant Wraith appears on the building above them. The reverse shot shows they look outmatched, when on a building behind them there is a bright purple flash of light. It's Amani. She strings her bow with an arrow of energy just as the song sings "You put an arrow through my heart." She lets loose and the bolt hits the wraith dead on the head. It keels back and vaporizes as Amani jumps. Giant white wings unfurl gliding her down to the ground. Amani reverts to her normal form and puts her fist in the air with her soul gem ring glowing. The three other girls gather and put their fists together in solidarity. The cursed fragments of the slain wraiths spin in a vortex and are consumed by the rings. When it is all done the image fades to black except for the glowing gems which spin round and round into the next scene. The girls behaving as normal school girls, doing homework, listening in class, hanging out after school, a pose shot that portrays their slick alter-ego coolness, kind of like the power rangers in their downtime. There is a shot of Joy walking out of school with the other girls flanking her. A reverse jib shot climbs to a beautiful daylight cityscape as the song is faded out at the solo's outbreak.

Night. Amani is running. Joy speaks to her telepathically.

JOY (V.O.)

Hurry! The wraiths have Prudence!

AMANI

I'm coming. I'm coming. Thirty

Seconds.

Amani runs around a corner down an alley and into an empty square where her soul gem ring reacts.

JOY (V.O.)

Amani, where are you?

AMANI

I'm at the stasis field.

JOY

Get in here! Hurry!

Amani transforms into her Puella form and activates her Soul gem.

AMANI (CTD)

Revert!

Amani enters the field. Frozen time from a few minutes ago when the field was made. Amani runs to see Joy and Charity looking at a blue light.

AMANI (CTD)

Joy!

Amani runs around the corner to see.

JOY  
You're too late, Amani.

AMANI

Oh, no.

Prudence has been driven to her knees. She is in her schoolgirl form, holding her soul gem which has begun to crack.

PRUDENCE

I guess I pushed it a little too

Hard this time.

CHARITY

What can we do, Joy?

JOY

There's nothing we can do. She

Only has a few more moments.

PRUDENCE

Don't worry about me, guys. I was

Proud to fight alongside you.

CHARITY

You can't give up now, Prudence!

PRUDENCE

Charity, my time's up. That's just it.

I loved every minute of this, honestly.

My only regret is I wish I had told him

I loved him. Just once. Make him

Happy, Amity.

Prudence's soul gem shatters, spreading the crystal and the curses in a ring leaving only a bright blue core that flashes, shocking the other girls and consuming the image.

Fade into an opera house. Hope and Prudence sit next to one another in a balcony seat. Below them are four judges. Will walks onto the stage and faces the judges

WILL

Vivaldi. Spring. Largo.

Will begins to play the tune solo. Hope and Prudence listen intently.

HOPE

This is why you made your wish

Isn't it?

PRUDENCE

Yeah.

A judge leans to another on his left but is quieted with a raise of the hand.

PRUDENCE (CTD)

I don't even like classical music

That much. Even when he plays it.

But playing it makes him happy.

All I wanted was for him to be

Happy.

HOPE

Are you happy?

PRUDENCE

Yes I am.

HOPE

But you still regret not telling

Him?

The other string sections of the Largo slowly fade in.

PRUDENCE

Of course. But I also didn't want

To hold him back, not ever. He

Needed someone that would be there

Supporting his vision all the way

without wanting to change it at all

and I got to admit, That's not me.

Amity watches will from the stage left curtain.

PRUDENCE (CTD)

Of anyone else only Amity could

Fill that role. The way she is

She'll stand by him. She'll push

Him forward. She won't ever force

Her way over his dream. Actually,

I think she might be too good for

him. But I don't make that

decision. Still, I'm giving it all

for him, and I don't need to give

any more, do I? So I give up.

HOPE

Shall we go?

PRUDENCE (Tearfully)

Yes. This is all I ever wanted.

The two girls stand and leave. Will ends the solo to thunderous applause. The reverse reveals he is performing before a full house and he happily soaks in the spotlight.

The cheers turn into Prudence's scream.

Back at the Stasis field the Girls reel back as the flash of blue light stuns them when Prudence's Soul Gem vaporizes. Time resumes. The girls stand around the fallen body.

CHARITY

What do we do now?

JOY

Just watch. I want you both

To know what it means to make

The contract.

A moment of tension passes and then from all around the curse that had built up in Prudence's soul gem returns and cover her body. The body is raised into the air, covered, collapsed to a ball and then devoured in darkness. The ball breaks into black seeds that shoot off in every direction as new curses which fly away into the night.

CHARITY

What the hell just happened, Joy?

JOY

That is what it means. Eventually

We all follow the law of the cycle.

Our Soul gems will shatter. Our

Spirit is released to the Cleoneum

But our bodies will become the

Spawning ground for the wraiths we

Could not cleanse. This is the fate

of all Puella.

Charity punches a vending machine.

CHARITY

Damn it. Why Prudence? Just when

We had learned to get along. Why

Now?

JOY  
She died doing her job.

CHARITY

She died! What does it matter what

She was doing at the time!?

JOY

We leave our bodies behind, but our

Souls are liberated. That has to be

Enough for you.

CHARITY

Well it's not. I want what I do

To actually mean something. This

Is absurd, Joy, and I mean that in

The existential sense of the word.

Think about it: if we don't hunt them

Our soul gems lose energy and any wraith

Can come along and destroy it however

When we do hunt them, little by little

They wear us down. There's no way

out. What we do doesn't matter. We

only Become food for the very wraiths

we are Supposed to kill. As long as we

exist they'll always keep coming!

We're fighting an enemy we'll never beat.

JOY

This is the only way to save humanity

From the wraiths.

CHARITY

Yeah, from what we become. Isn't

It true that wraiths will beat us

In the end?

JOY

That's right.

CHARITY

Then what's the point? What are

We fighting for?

AMANI

Hope!

The girls are shocked to hear the cool break on the normally subdued Amani.

AMANI (CTD)

Hope. For all of us.

Even to the last moment.

We're fighting for Hope.

Joy nods.

JOY

I couldn't have said it better.

ACT 3

Sunset. Amani walks on a riverside path when she is surprised by a child's voice.

TEDDY

Hooopwella!

She turns to see Teddy leading Jake and Rachel.

RACHEL

Teddy, come on back here.

Amani kneels down.

AMANI

What's Hoopwella?

TEDDY

She saves everybody!

AMANI

Oh, really?

TEDDY

Hooooopwella!

Teddy runs off. Rachel comes up to Amani.

RACHEL

Sorry about that. I can't keep

Up with him. Bit of advice, if

You plan on having kids make sure

You're quick on your feet.

AMANI (Shrugs)

OK.

RACHEL

What did he say? Hoopwella again?

AMANI  
He did, yeah.

RACHEL

Ah, probably watching too many

Cartoons.

AMANI

My name is Amani.

RACHEL

Oh, Hi Amani. I'm Rachel.

They shake hands. Jake catches up.

JAKE

Hello.

AMANI

Hello.

RACHEL

Jake, meet Amani. Our kid cast a

Spell on her or something.

JAKE

Pleased to meet you. Rachel, I

Got to catch up with that boy.

Who knows what he'll do to the

Next stranger?

RACHEL

Go for it. You mind if I take a

Breather?

JAKE

I'll be back in a bit.

Jake runs off chasing after Teddy.

AMANI

Would you like to sit down?

RACHEL

Absolutely.

The two sit on a park bench looking over the river. Rachel throws her head back, exhaustedly.

RACHEL (CTD)

You want to know the scary thing?

AMANI

What?

RACHEL

Even with the high endurance stress

Motherhood is putting me through I

still think I waited just long enough

to have a kid.

AMANI

How so?

RACHEL

Any younger and I couldn't afford it

Any older and I couldn't keep up.

AMANI

Maybe. Or maybe if you'd become a

Mother earlier you'd have worked

Even harder to raise her.

RACHEL

Her?

AMANI

Or him. Whatever.

RACHEL

Well, I've been thinking about that

Recently. When I was younger-well…

When I was closer to your age than

Mine, let's say that, I had a pretty

Close call. Nothing came of it but

The thought of being a young mom really

Shook me. I knew I wanted a kid, but

I kind of live with an 'only on my own

Terms' philosophy. Ever since then

I've been working on making those

Terms. Now I've got a kid that I can't

Get any terms out of. God I can't

Believe I'm telling you all this.

Amani chuckles.

RACHEL

What?

AMANI

You seem like you're stubborn but

Kind. Like you are the type of

Person to turn the world upside

Down so long as things work out

for the best.

RACHEL

I guess you could say that. But

Why is that funny?

AMANI

You just remind me of a friend.

She's like that too.

Rachel breathes out a sigh.

RACHEL

Hooooopwella. Three days straight

I have no idea what he's talking about.

AMANI

He said she protects everyone.

Maybe it's a name. Hope, perhaps.

RACHEL

Hope, huh? It might not be a pretty

Concept but it's a pretty name.

AMANI

What do you mean?

RACHEL

Huh?

AMANI

Why is Hope a bad concept?

RACHEL

Hope? It's treacherous. Dangerous.

AMANI

Tell me more.

RACHEL

Let's say you want something.

I know you do and I can give it

To you. But I don't. I tell you

Go do this, this and this for me and I

Will give it to you. Do you see?

Now you have hope that I will keep my

Word and be giving, but I won't. I'll

keep it and control you with it. Still,

that little bit of hope keeps you going.

Like A carrot dangled on the end of a stick.

AMANI

I see.

RACHEL

Works the other way too. Say you're

Filled with hope, you think you

Can do anything. Tying your head

Up in dreams and ignoring what you

Have to do. Everything falls apart

Some day with that attitude. Too much

Hope and you become unrealistic.

AMANI

Makes sense.

RACHEL

But then what about having no hope

At all? No one can live like that.

AMANI

So what's the answer?

RACHEL

You have to get just the right amount

Of hope. Not too little not too much

And never none at all.

AMANI

Hmm.

RACHEL

I think I've got that. Right now.

Mom, dad, kid. Money. Just enough.

Just enough hope. How about you?

AMANI

Me?

RACHEL

Yeah, why not? How much hope?

AMANI  
When it comes to me and Hope I'd say

Always too much and never ever

enough. Even when it seems

like there's none at all.

Rachel stands and stretches.

RACHEL

That's good. It's what it feels

like to be young.

Jake returns.

JAKE

Hey, honey, I think Teddy's ready

For a nap.

RACHEL

Yeah. So am I. It was good talking

To you, Amani.

AMANI

Yeah. Likewise. Have a good night.

RACHEL

Oh, we will. Hope to see you again

Sometime.

JAKE

Good night, Amani.

TEDDY

Hooooooooopwella!

Amani walks in the opposite direction as the sun tucks away over the Horizon.

Night. Rooftop. Arvess and Amani perch overlooking the city. Amani's Soul gem hovers over Arvess' Halo and the curses are being drained from it and sucked into the abyss.

ARVESS

Witches?

AMANI

That's right. Instead of Karma

Being split between the Cleoneum

And the wraiths it used to be that

It would invert. Puella became

Witches and things got ugly.

ARVESS  
You had to fight them? Your own kind?

AMANI

Nothing new under the sun. Fighting

Ourselves is something humans are

Good at. You'll never run out of

Energy if you take it from people

Fighting one another. Doesn't matter

now, though. If we don't beat the

wraiths both our worlds will crumble.

ARVESS  
This is no small thing. This is a

Completely altered universe you're

Speaking of. You say one puella

Did it all?

AMANI

Two. I was right there when it

happened. Why are you even asking

me? You've got the Cleoneum.

You're the ones who made it.

Check the instant replay.

ARVESS

The Cleoneum had to be forged in

A containment field, then incubated

For seven trillion inverzons. After

Hundreds of failed attempts we were

Not going to risk improper

calibration.

AMANI

So you have no records of making

The damn thing?

ARVESS

None.

AMANI

Then you'll just have to trust me

And let me tell you, trust is a hell

Of a thing between you and me.

We were not friendly coworkers back then.

ARVESS

It's fascinating though. I don't

Focus on any idea that's not

Practical. So I'll say that if I could

Have a world where the full emotional

Energy of witches could be wrung dry

I'd do it.

Amani points at Arvess

AMANI

Watch that, Harvester. That's the

Kind of talk that will get you on

Her bad side.

ARVESS  
You say that, but how can I even be

Sure that she exists? How can you

Prove your claim?

AMANI

The wishes take us to a new

reality where they were true all along.

Back then it was the same. Her wish did it.

She made a wish that meant she would

have to disappear, so she did. She's

like a living wish that vanished. You can't know.

ARVESS  
So much more interesting with

Everything you describe. I don't

Understand at all, it seems so

Preposterous, and yet, the

Consistency of your claims seems to

Indicate that what you saw was real

At least to you.

AMANI

Oh, it was real. It was real short.

A daydream, a nightmare blended into

One, quiet as closing my eyes and

Quick as opening them. Now I'm awake again.

ARVESS

If we were to ever contact this

Hope you speak of what can you

Tell me about her as a person?

Amani looks the angel right in the eyes.

AMANI

I'll tell you one thing for

Certain. Take it as a warning.

She doesn't know her own strength.

ARVESS  
I don't understand.

AMANI

I know.

Amani walks to the ledge, looking down she sees the flutter of wraith activity.

AMANI (CTD)

OK.

She puts her hand up and Arvess shoots her Soul gem over. Amani re-attaches it to her hand.

ARVESS  
Should I contact the others?

AMANI

No. I can handle it. Still, with

Prudence gone it's a pain to pick up

the slack. We're talking too much.

There's no need for this. We have

work to do.

Amani steps off the ledge and falls rapidly down to the ground her wings open and she descends slowly. Shots of the City and wraiths prowling around as a montage.

AMANI (V.O)

This is the world she wanted. Is

It better? Yes. Everyone got their

Share of kindness and everyone is still

Sticking to the rules. Puella must

Fight for their wishes, their wishes

Must build up the world. I don't think

Prudence died for nothing. I don't

Think Joy was wrong in making us come

To terms with all of this. But Charity

Is right. The wraiths won't stop.

If we can't beat them back long enough

To try something new there's no way out.

Amani lands gingerly she walks into the crowd and blends in.

AMANI (V.O. CTD)

Except for me, of course. I know why

I'm here, and I know where I'm going.

Not that I don't have doubts. But

I remember she promised me everything

is going to be alright. So I don't worry.

Amani walks to a square and senses the whisper of Wraiths all around her. She activates her stasis field. Time freezes Tall, foreboding wraiths surround her. She sizes up the situation with glances to all direction. She summons her bow.

AMANI (V.O. CTD)

It doesn't matter how long I'm here

Or where I go or what I do, because

I'm always brought back to the one

Fact: Hope, This is the world you wished for.

The wraiths loom above her. Amani transforms, draws her bow unflinching and undaunted and takes aim, Arvess resting on her shoulder.

AMANI (V.O. CTD)

So this is the world that I will fight for.

She looses the arrow. Blackout.

Credits roll full screen cinema crawl style as "You are not alone" by Michael Jackson plays.

STINGER

Amani walks through a desolate wasteland with ruined metal buildings twisted in wind swept sands. Before her appear and tower five great wraiths who hover ominously. Amani's pace does not alter as she transforms. Her soul gem is tainted and nearing the point when it is about to fracture. Giant cursed wings appear behind her. The wraiths bellow and charge up energy beams in their palms. Amani walks forward unafraid, without even emotion. Then she hears a soft whisper.

HOPE (V.O.)  
I'll see you soon.

Amani stops, smiles and looks up at the wraiths. They fire at her but winged Amani takes to the air. The blasts shoot up at her, but she rains down purple arrows of magical energy that strike down several of the wraiths. Amani arches high in the sky, spreads her wings open in the moonlight and dives spinning at them the image goes into one of the cursed wings and the twisted gyrating surreal, impressionist swirls of the curses are the last thing seen.


End file.
